


Time Travelers in Storybrooke

by gingerwhovianrobotskeleton



Series: Time Travelers in Storybrooke [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-25
Updated: 2012-12-26
Packaged: 2017-11-19 11:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerwhovianrobotskeleton/pseuds/gingerwhovianrobotskeleton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The TARDIS crashes and strands the Doctor in Fairy Tale World and Amy & Rory in Storybrooke. If the Doctor wants to find his spaceship and friends, he’s going to have to make a deal with the Dark One…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. TARDIS Malfunction

It was like any other day (actually, calmer than most days) inside the TARDIS. The Doctor was at the command module of his beloved space ship. He was re-routing a new path to their next destination. They had just gotten back from 1964 where they watched the Beatles perform for the first time in the US. It was all fun until he got lost trying to find the rest room and ended up on the main stage it front of millions of people. He did his best to fill in the awkward moment by doing the drunken giraffe dance on stage… Let’s just say the audience wasn’t pleased.

Amy leaned against the staircase rail reading a fashion magazine she picked up during their trip. There was a full interview with Marilyn Monroe and gorgeous pictures to go with it. She had wondered why they couldn’t just go to Hollywood to meet the young actress, but the Doctor refused saying she hadn’t forgiven him yet. Why she would be mad at the Doctor, Amy had no idea. He never did mention what happened with her that one Christmas…

Rory was playing some Beatles songs in the corner. He found an old record player within one of the many nook and crannies of the TARDIS and decided to play the album he had picked up before being chased by an angry mob of fans. For once, he wished they could go someplace where no one wanted to kill them. Then again, all that running did keep him in shape. He never was much for exercise and climbing the rope in gym class. If only his gym teacher could see him now…

The Doctor listened as “Let it Be” hummed in the background on the record player. The song was very soothing as he worked. He looked at the monitor in front of him and noticed they were headed on an unfamiliar path. Not very unusual, since there are many places the Doctor hasn’t been to yet. The universe was vast and never-ending. This was the stuff he craved for: to explore places that no other Time Lord has ever possibly gone.

He peered closer and noticed a foggy blob on the screen. He blew his hot breath on it and wiped the screen with a hanky he kept hidden in his right sleeve. When the blob was still there, the gears in his mind started clicking. Usually when something like this popped up on the screen while traveling through the time vortex, it usually meant “keep out”. Curiosity was always a weakness of the Doctor’s and he almost wanted to drive right through it and to check it out.

But then he remembered the time when he got trapped in the parallel universe with Rose and Mickey. For all he knew, that was the TARDIS’ way of saying to stay away unless he wanted to cause another rift in the universe and repeat the Battle at Canary Warf. He couldn’t put his companions through something like that.

Not again.

He pressed a few buttons and slowly eased the little wheel to steer as far away from the blob as possible.

“Doctor,” Amy’s voice rang through his thoughts as he quickly looked up to see the young ginger walking up the little staircase with her magazine in tow. “Do you think I could get away with selling this in the future? I could probably get a lot of money out of this since it looks brand new.”

“Pond, that would be cheating,” he scolded, then quirked an eyebrow up in thought. “Maybe if you put it in one of those plastic covers that comic books come in, then most blokes would be less likely to question it.”

“I see,” Amy stared back at the cover.”Not that I would actually try that. I was just curious.” She gave him an innocent smile.

The Doctor just nodded and went back to steering his ship. He wouldn’t be surprised if she did try it. Where do you think River got her sneakiness from?

“Any idea where we might be going next?” asked Rory as he walked up the steps to greet the other two.

“Not exactly sure yet,” the Doctor set the controls on auto-pilot and stepped around the console to face the married couple, “but I think it’ll be a nice surprise once we find out.” He smiled at them. The same smile a young kid would get opening a present early before Christmas.

“The last time you said that, we ended up in a village full of cannibals,” Amy scolded.

“Oh, come on, Pond,” the Doctor rolled his eyes. “Those villagers were very hospitable-“

“Until they sprinkled seasoning on us and tied us to a fire spit,” Rory finished.

“Well, I got us out of it, didn’t I?” he jabbed a finger at them. “Though I must admit the smell of paprika on my suit was starting to make me sick-“

CRASH!

The TARDIS lurched sideways causing the trio to fall against the railing. Amy dropped her magazine and the record player shut itself off after crashing against the wall.

“Doctor! What’s going on?!” Amy shouted over the loud humming and shaking of the TARDIS.

The Doctor hung on to the rail as tight as he could and pulled himself to the front of the console. He looked at the screen and his eyes went wide.

They were brushing the side of the foggy blob.

“We’re going near a blocked off area!” the Doctor shouted back answering her question. “I tried to steer away from it, but it seems the gravity surrounding it is too strong for us to get away!”

“What do you mean blocked off?!” Rory shouted back trying to hug the railing and keep from slipping down the staircase. “Since when is something blocked off?!”

Before the Doctor could say anything, the TARDIS doors flew open revealing a bright white light. The were still spinning out of control, and the air was beginning to suck out of the spaceship. Before she knew it, her fingers were beginning to slip and Amy couldn’t hold on much longer. She tried gripping the rail again, but her clammy palms ended up slipping.

“NO!” Rory shouted as he grabbed Amy’s arm with his free hand. She reached her other hand to grab his arm for dear life.

“AMY! RORY! DON’T LET GO!” the Doctor shouted at them over the rushing wind sound. He tied a fishing line to the hand grip and wrapped it around his fist. It was the same tactic he had used when trying to save Donna Noble from a cab driving on the highway by a robot Santa. He wasn’t sure if this would work again, but he had to try.

While trying to keep his balance, he struggled to pull some rope out from under the console with his free hand. His plan was to try and get to Amy and Rory and tie them to rail of the console so they wouldn’t fly out. The fishing line was so he could steep the TARDIS while doing this.

Finally, he grabbed the rope and made big, slow steps towards his companions. “RORY!” he shouted. “I’M GOING TO TIE THIS AROUND YOUR WAIST TO THE RAIL! I NEED YOU TO HOLD ON TIGHT, AND WHEN I SAY NOW, LET GO AND PULL AMY IN FURTHER!”

Rory nodded not taking his eyes off of his wife for once second. He could feel the sweat in her hands soaking through his long sleeved shirt, but they still held on for as tight as they could. The Doctor went to work on tying the rope around Rory’s waist. He has to be quick despite doing this one handed. The gravity in the TARDIS would collapse any minute now. If he didn’t work fast enough, they would fly out.

The TARDIS lurched again. The shock of it caused Rory’s arm to slip out of the rail and away from the rope.

It happened all so fast and yet slow at the same time. The Doctor watched in horror as Rory flew away from him, crashed himself into Amy forcing them to hug together, and fly right through the doors both screaming.

“NOOOOO!” The Doctor screamed, helplessness taking over.

Before he could wallow in self pity, the cloister bell began ringing. He jerked his head back to the screen to see the words “GRAVITY FAILING” flash across the screen. With another lurch of the TARDIS, the Doctor was jerked backwards towards the entrance. He yelped as the back of his head hit the doorway and everything went black…


	2. Tempting Siren

The haze in his head was starting to clear as the Doctor slowly came back too consciousness. He dared not open his eyes for he feared of a concussion. What happened? He thought to himself. The memories began to flood in: Beatles concert… drunken giraffe… foggy blob on the monitor… crashing-

“Amy! Rory!” his eyes snapped open and he shot up to a sitting position; a bad idea considering he just gave himself a headache. “Ow!” he slapped a hand to the back of his head. He felt a small bump from where he hit his head on the door while flying out of the TARDIS. He considered himself lucky that there wasn’t any brain damage… so far.

He flexed his arms and legs to make sure there were no injuries. Very sore, but he concluded that all was well; physically at least. He had to only hope that Amy, Rory, and his beloved TARDIS were okay.

He lets his hands fall to the ground and felt a patch of damp dirt around where he sat. He looked around him taking in the surroundings. He was in a forest, it seemed. It was dark all except for the lake a couple feet away which seemed to be glowing. It was very beautiful, he had no doubt. He slowly stood up so as not to agitate his soreness. He made small steps circling the spot he landed on trying to deduce where he was.

Obviously he was in a forest. Maybe he was somewhere on Earth. But how many places had a lake that shined so brightly under the moonlight? A planet of living trees? One thing he obviously knew was that he had never been here before. He face palmed himself feeling his headache getting worse.

He looked back over at the lake; the water looked so clear and his throat began to dry just from staring at it. He mulled over whether or not to have a drink of it. Surely it couldn’t be poisonous. He made his way over to the edge and knelt down on one knee. He whipped out his sonic screwdriver, thankful that he didn’t lose it while the TARDIS crashed. He hovered it over the surface of the water as it bleeped it’s green light rapidly. He pulled it back and examined the scan: no known toxins or even iron.

He grinned, happy that he didn’t have to walk for who-knows-how-long just to find drinkable water. He pocketed his screwdriver and cupped his hands together. He dipped them into the lake and generously took a sip. The water felt refreshing going down his throat; made him feel a little more energized. His thirst satisfied, he stood up to go so he could start searching for his friends and ship.

Suddenly, he heard humming.

He slowly turned back to the source of the noise which happened to be in the middle of the lake. The humming was very melodious, almost as if someone were singing a song. His jaw dropped as he saw something emerge out of the still water. First he saw silver spikes, then a head, and finally a human shape. It stopped on top of the surface as if it stood on the water like it was a floor.

It was a woman with a silver crown atop her drenched, long blonde hair. She had pale skin and wore a white long dress that was soaking and clung to her slender figure.

“Oh, hello there,” the Doctor greeted with a smile, not knowing what else to say, “I hope you don’t mind me sampling a little bit of… water. I was just about to leave. Take care.”

“What’s the hurry?” the woman asked stopping the Doctor from walking any further. Her voice reminded him of soft silk. “It has been so long since I’ve had company.” Her eyes held a seductive appearance.

Oblivious to her meaning of the word company, the Doctor replied, “I would love to stay and chat, possibly some other time, but right now I have to find my friends.”

“You don’t prefer to spend time with me instead?” she pouted her lips as if she were about to cry.

“Oh, no, it’s not that,” the time lord blubbered, “I just haven’t- You see, we were flying and-“

“Perhaps this will change your mind,” she dropped the weepy look and bent down to cup some water into her hands. With a quirk of her eyebrow, she straightened back up and poured the water over her face. The Doctor watched in shock as the woman’s shape began to change: her skin a few shades darker, her hair turned into wet curls, and she gave him the seductive look that he knew all too well.

She looked just like River Song.

“Hello, sweetie,” she greeted mimicking his wife’s voice. She was just like her in everyway except for the white dress and tiara.

The Doctor’s eyes bogged out of his head and he began to laugh. “Oh! This is brilliant! You’re a shape shifter!”

“I prefer the term siren, if you please.”

“Oh, I see,” the Doctor nodded in understanding. “So tell me, siren, where exactly am I?”

“The Enchanted Forest, of course,” she laughed as if it were obvious.

“Enchanted…” he repeated looking around him again. He didn’t remember ever hearing of a place called the Enchanted Forest. “What planet are we on?”

The siren laughed at him with River’s laugh; it unnerved him. “Your lack of knowledge amuses me so.”

The Doctor frowned not happy with the turn of events. “Well, if you’re not going to help me, then I best be on my way to find someone who can.” He turned to leave.

“You’re not allowed to leave,” she told him pointedly.

The Doctor stopped walking and turned to face the Siren with River’s face. “And why is that?” he asked.

“You took something from me without giving me anything in return,” she explained as if scolding a rude child. “You took a drink from my lake.”

He sighed agitatedly. “You’re kidding!”

“Don’t fret,” she softened her voice. “There are other ways you can repay me.” She gave him the look. The look River always gave him whenever she was feeling frisky.

The Doctor gulped and began to stutter. “I-I-I don’t think that would be wise,” he warned. “The real River would easily shoot you if you tried anything.” She didn’t seem to falter so he tried again. “Besides, I’m not exactly fond of creatures that look like my wife one minute, and the next turn into someone like Rose or Captain Jack.”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” the siren assured. “Why don’t you come over here so we can be closer?” she gestured to the lake that she was standing one around her.

The Doctor looked down to see the he was only a few feet away from the water. The fairytale legends of sirens suddenly sprung to mind: beautiful creatures that lured sailors into the water and dragged them to the bottom of the ocean to drown. With that in mind, he replied sarcastically, “Thank you, but I think I’ll leave walking on water to the Son of God.”

Suddenly, the smile on her face turned dangerous. “So it’s going to be the ward way then,” she chided.

She lifted up her arm and a giant rope of water shot out and wrapped around his left ankle. Before the Doctor could react, the rope pulled his leg out from under him, causing him to fall onto his back. With a venomous look, the siren clenched her fist and slowly pulled her arm backwards. The action caused the rope to pull back towards the lake dragging the time lord with it.

“No! No! No! No! No!” the Doctor exclaimed flailing his arms around him, trying to grab a branch or something to hold on to.

“No man ever refuses me!” the Siren called back to him angrily.

The Doctor found a vine hanging from a low tree and grabbed just as the rope began to pull harder.

Suddenly, a quick screech was heard and the rope stopped pulling. The Doctor turned to see the Siren with shock adorning her features. He glanced down further to see a dagger embedded into her chest.

The Doctor watched in horror as blood spilled out of the wound. The siren shifted back to her normal, slender and blonde form before falling through the surface of the lake, never to be seen again. The water rope dissolved and absorbed itself into the ground leaved a wet spot around the Doctor’s pant leg. He let go of the vine and brought himself into a sitting position.

“That was close,” he breathed heavily.

“No need to thank me, dearie,” called a new, high pitched voice. The Doctor suddenly turned to see a skinny man in leather trousers. “I never liked Ursula much anyways.”


	3. The Strange Town

Ugh! My arms are so sore!…Is that the sound of birds chirping?… Why are there birds in the TARDIS?

 

Rory’s eyes snapped open. The first thing he saw was a bright blue sky with fizzled-out clouds. He felt gravel under his fingertips. He sat up to see a bed of rocks spread out before him. He sat next to a creek and trees were spread out far and wide around him. Much like the Doctor, his memory was coming back slowly…

 

“Amy!” he shouted remembering how they flew out of the TARDIS together.

 

“What…?” came the familiar just-waking-up groan right beside him.

 

He twisted over to see Amy stirring from her sleep. She flipped back a curtain of red hair from her face and looked up at her husband with squinty eyes. “Rory?” she asked drowsily.

 

“…Yeah?” he asked thanking God or whoever was watching them that his wife was okay.

 

“… Why are we laying on rocks?”

 

He let out an amused sigh. “We fell out of the TARDIS while it was crashing, remember?”

 

“Crashing-” Amy stopped herself. Her eyes snapped open all the way and she sat straight up so she was level with Rory. “Where’s the Doctor!” she demanded.

 

“I… I don’t know,” he stuttered. “I just woke up myself.”

 

Amy sighed and buried her face in her hands. After a moment, she slowly stood up and slowly spun around to get a glimpse of the scenery. “I think we’re on Earth.”

 

“Possibly,” he agreed rising to stand. “But we’ve been here before.”

 

“Of course,” Amy replied sarcastically.

 

“No, I mean,” he paused. “Before the doors flew open, he said that we were headed somewhere that was supposed to be blocked off. We traveled through Earth billions of times without running into any kind of invisible wall.”

 

Amy was silent. She began walking towards a steep hill that led to a bridge above them. Rory followed. “I guess we’ll just have to find out for ourselves.”

 

She grabbed a hold of a tree branch sticking out of the ground and pulled herself up higher on the hill. “Maybe we’re in a parallel universe,” Rory suggested. “The Doctor said he had been to one before.”

 

“We could be,” Amy agreed letting go of the branch and grabbing the pole of the sign while trying to keep balance. “If we’re lucky, the Doctor might be looking for us right now.”

 

“Do you think he landed in the same place as us?” Rory asked as Amy helped him to the top of the hill.

 

“We were all headed for the same place,” Amy shrugged. “He can’t be that far.”

 

Once they were settled at the top, they made their way across the long bridge where, from a distance, they could see a dirt-covered metal sign that said “TOLL BRIDGE”; someone had spray-painted an “R” in the middle to make it look like the sign said “TROLL BRIDGE”.

 

“At least the people here have a sense of humor,” Rory commented.

 

…

 

It was early afternoon. Henry Mills had just got back from school and made his usual stop at Granny’s Diner. He sat in his usual bar stool sipping hot cocoa. It had been awhile since he was able to leave the school on his own to hang out at Granny’s before walking home to go to his appointments with Archie Hopper.

 

Ever since Emma Swan (his real mother) came to town, Madame Mayor had been strict about letting the two of them see each other; to the point where they weren’t allowed to have any contact ever. After Emma became sheriff and some time had passed, Regina gave him a longer leesh, so to speak. The mother and son were only allowed a certain amount of contact per week and Henry had to be home at certain times depending on where he went.

 

It wasn’t much, but it would have to do until his mother could finally break the curse. He knew she didn’t believe yet, but he could feel that she was getting close. He had felt victorious after Emma asked to borrow his book so she could read about the Mad Hatter, and now that Kathryn was back, it was only a matter of time…

 

The bell on the door rang as it swung open. Henry turned to see two people he didn’t recognize walk in. The first one was a man with disheveled, sandy brown hair and he wore dark blue jeans and a Beatles t-shirt under a plaid shirt. The second was a woman with long, red hair. She wore a short leather jacket with a maroon top, a denim skirt, and cowboy boots. The pair looked tired with patches of dirt stains on their clothes. They must’ve come out of the forest, he thought.

 

They sat down at the bar a couple of seats away from Henry. The man rested his elbows on the counter and buried his face in his hands; the woman settled with resting her head on the table. It wasn’t odd for the young boy to see people he didn’t know; it was a big town after all. Henry studied them, trying to figure out which fairytale characters they were.

 

He didn’t have his storybook (Emma was suppose to bring it with her that afternoon) so it was a bit difficult. From what he could remember, there was a character that had red hair like the woman… Maybe she was Ariel. The man’s nose made Henry think of Pinocchio, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Pinocchio was a child when the curse began, and this man was obviously in his late-twenties at least.

 

Come to think of it, he didn’t know where the wooden puppet was…

 

“Wow, you two look rough,” Ruby, the waitress, blatantly told the couple as she walked behind the bar with a notepad.

 

The couple looked up to see the girl standing in front of them. “Thanks for your brilliant observation,” the woman told Ruby sarcastically. Henry noted that her accent sounded similar to Mr. Gold’s.

 

Ruby ignored her comment. “Is there anything I can get you both?”

 

“Two waters please,” answered the man. He accent wasn’t the same as the woman’s. It was English.

 

“Coming right up,” the waitress smiled closing her notebook and heading to the other side of the bar.

 

The woman let out a sigh and turned in her stool to observe the rest of the restaurant. It was mostly empty minus Leroy who sat in a booth closer to the laundry room, trying to avoid human contact except when Ruby came back to refill his mug. Dr. Whale was also on break from the hospital having a late lunch. He was busy working once Kathryn reappeared, helping her to remember where she was for the past few weeks while everyone thought she was dead. Mary Margaret was wrongfully accused of killing her, and Henry knew it was all a ploy made by his adoptive mother just so she could get rid of his teacher/grandmother.

 

“He could be anywhere in this town,” the woman whispered to her friend, turning back in her seat. Henry had to lean a little bit to hear.

 

“Are we even sure he’s here?” he asked her in the same hushed tone. “We fell out of the TARDIS before he did. For all we know, he traveled miles away and fell out sometime then.”

 

Henry’s eyes squinted a little bit. Obviously they were looking for a he. But what did he mean by falling out of a TARDIS? The word was familiar to him, but he couldn’t remember where he heard it-

 

“Oi, kid!” the woman’s voice rose up and made Henry jump. He looked to see the woman staring right at him, looking annoyed. “Didn’t anyone tell ya it wasn’t polite to eavesdrop?”

 

“I’m s-sorry,” the boy stuttered. “It’s just… I’ve never seen you two before.”

 

“Same here,” Ruby concurred, returning with a tray carrying two glasses of water and two plates of cherry pie. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

 

“Oh no,” the woman replied with a shake of her head. “We’re just passing through.”

 

“Really?” Ruby’s smile brightened. “We don’t usually get many visitors here.” She then turned towards Henry. “Emma must be some kind of tourist magnet,” she joked.

 

“Emma’s my mom,” Henry told the couple who looked at them confused. “She’s the new sheriff of Storybrooke.”

 

“And why does that make her a tourist magnet?” asked the man.

 

“Because before she came, we never had any new visitors come here for…” Ruby paused to think. “Well, a long time.”

 

“So now lots of people stop here?” asked the red head.

 

“Well, not lots,” the waitress admitted. “Only her and this writer guy, August.” She grabbed the two cups of water and placed them in front of the couple along with the two plates of cherry pie.

 

“Um,” the man gestured to the desserts, “we didn’t order these.”

 

“On the house,” Ruby grinned. “Anyone new to town gets a free slice of Granny’s special cherry pie.”

 

The couple nodded their thanks as Ruby left the bar to serve Leroy another glass of beer.

 

“My name’s Henry,” he introduced himself.

 

“Rory,” the man greeted. “This is my wife, Amy.”

 

The boy shook hands with the couple. “Sorry again for eavesdropping.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Amy waved it off. “Actually,” she paused a moment, “Maybe you could help us.” She got up from her stool and went to go sit next to Henry. Rory remained where he was and took small bites of his pie. “We’re looking for someone. He’s called the Doctor.” Amy asked him in a hushed voice.

 

Henry scrunched his nose and jabbed a thumb over at a nearby table. “Dr. Whale is over there. He knows more about doctors than I do.”

 

Amy turned to see Dr. Whale who was cutting his ham into little tiny pieces. “Oh, no,” she shook her head. “He’s not an actual doctor. Everyone just calls him the Doctor.”

 

“Everyone?” he asked.

 

Amy nodded.

 

“Not even a last name?”

 

She shook her head. “None.” She then added, “He has brown hair, tan, tweed jacket, and wears a bow-tie.” She rolled her eyes. “He thinks their ‘cool’.”

 

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. He rapidly scooted his empty cup of cocoa aside and grabbed his backpack. Amy and Rory (who paused mid-bite) watched him curiously as he grabbed his walkie-talkie out of his backpack. “Henry to Emma!” he called into the device frantically. “Operation Cobra emergency! I repeat, Operation Cobra emergency! Where are you?”

 

“Relax, kid,” called a familiar female voice through the walkie-talkie, “I’m about to walk into Granny’s.”

 

On cue, the door swung open again. Amy and Rory turned to see Henry’s biological mother. Her curly blonde hair was in a pony tail and she wore her usual red jacket. She carried her walkie-talkie in one hand and her brown bag in the other.

 

“Did you bring my storybook?” Henry asked, excitement running through him.

 

“I said I would,” Emma replied walking to stand next to Henry. She reached into her bag to pull out a thick storybook.

 

“Thanks,” he rapidly took it from her, pushed his backpack aside, and slammed it on the table.

 

“Who are you guys?” Emma asked the married couple as Henry rapidly flipped through pages.

 

“I’m Amy,” she replied, “and this is Rory.” Rory gave a small wave. “You must be the sheriff.”

 

“Sheriff Swan,” the blonde confirmed.

 

“Got it!” Henry exclaimed once he found the story he was looking for. “Does he look anything like this?” he asked sliding the book in front of Amy. Rory leaned over to look at the book with her.

 

He saw their eyes widen in shock. I’ll take that as a “yes”.

 

…

 

Amy couldn’t believe it. She should have known by now to expect the unexpected when travelling with a time lord, but she never expected to see the Doctor’s face inside a child’s storybook.

 

The picture Amy and Rory saw was a drawing of the Doctor. He was screaming as he was being dragged into a lake by a blue rope. Amy’s current shock kept her laughing; even in a storybook he was still getting caught up in dangerous situations.

 

“That’s him!” Amy confirmed with worry in her voice.

 

“What’s happening to him?” Rory asked.

 

“He was about to be murdered by a siren because he drank from her lake water,” Henry answered.

 

Her husband shrugged. “Sounds like him.”

 

“Did he escape?” she asked the young boy.

 

“Rumpelstiltskin saved him,” he told them reassuringly.

 

Amy looked at Rory with the same peculiar expression that he wore. “Rumpelstiltskin?”

 

“The imp who threatened to steal a woman’s first born son?” Rory finished her question.

 

“Henry, don’t do this now,” Emma told her son in a tired voice.

 

“Don’t do what?” Amy turned to Emma.

 

“Henry Mills,” called a new voice; this one more harsh and strict.

 

Henry quickly grabbed Emma’s bag and laid it on top of the open book as the other three turned to see a woman with short black hair. She wore a black business suit and a glare.

 

“Hi, mom,” Henry grumbled.

 

“I thought I told you to be home at four o’clock,” she scolded.

 

“I was waiting for Emma,” he told her.

 

Rory leaned in to whisper to Amy. “I thought he said the sheriff was his mum.”

 

“Same here,” she whispered back.

 

“You know the rules, Henry,” the woman was about to say more until she noticed the new faces in the diner. “Do I know you two?” she asked looking at Amy.

 

“Amy Pond,” she greeted with a forced smile. “This is my husband, Rory.”

 

“Hello…” Rory stood up from his seat. “We’re just visitors passing through, Mrs…”

 

“Mayor,” she corrected, “Regina Mills.” She scrutinized the couple skeptically.

 

“Right,” Rory simply said.

 

“Regina, I was running a little late today, and I had just got here,” Emma told her.

 

Regina turned to glare at Emma. “Make excuses on your own time, sheriff, not mine.”

 

“Excuse me,” the blonde placed her hands on her hips, “I was busy working on Kathryn’s case, which I’m assuming, you made my top priority.”

 

“And have you found any leads?”

 

Emma averted her gaze. “Well, not-“

 

“You’re wasting your time then,” Regina interrupted. “Henry, go to the car. You don’t want to be late for your meeting.”

 

Henry sighed and grabbed his backpack. “It was nice meeting you,” he told Amy and Rory.

 

“Enjoy you’re stay in Storybrooke,” Regina smiled, but Amy could tell she didn’t mean it, “Mr. and Mrs. Pond.” Then she and Henry walked out the door.

 

Once the door shut closed, Emma growled in her throat and sat down in the seat that Henry sat in before.

 

“Your usual hot chocolate with whip cream and cinnamon,” Ruby smiled at her encouragingly as she placed a hot mug in front of her.

 

“Thanks, Ruby,” Emma gave her a small smile and wrapped her hands around the warm mug.

 

“You know,” Ruby rested her elbows on the counter and gave the sheriff a conspiratorial look, “I think it’s high time you get a lawyer and fight her for custody of Henry.”

 

“Heh, like that’ll ever work,” Emma mocked herself. “Every time I try to defy Regina, it always comes back and bites me in the ass.”

 

“If you’re his mother,” Amy spoke up as Ruby walked back into the kitchen, “How come Henry lives with the mayor?”

 

Emma looked over at her. “It’s a long story.”

 

“We’ve got time,” Rory encouraged.

 

Emma took a sip of her cocoa and turned in her seat to face them. “I gave Henry up for adoption when he was a born. Ten years later, the kid shows up on my doorstep at nine o’clock at night and I’m forced to drive him back home from Boston to here.”

 

“Why did you give him up?” Amy asked then added, “If it’s okay to ask.”

 

“No big,” Emma shook her head. “I was eighteen with no way of taking care of him. I wanted to give him his best chance, but now that I see where he lives…” Emma bit her lip trying to disguise her disgust for the Mayor.

 

“I’m sorry,” Amy sympathized. “She does seem like a real wench.”

 

Emma chuckled. “You don’t know the half of it.”

 

“Is it okay if I ask about his storybook?” Amy pushed the bag aside to reveal the page with the Doctor in it.

 

Emma paused a moment, not sure if she wanted to tell them about Henry’s theory. Well, he was going to tell them anyway, she realized with a grimace. “Henry has this notion that… Everyone who lives in this town is a fairytale character.” She paused to see their reaction.

 

“Fairytale characters?” Rory asked.

 

“Yeah,” she continued. “Every character in that book is supposedly trapped in this town by a curse. They don’t remember who they are, time is frozen so they don’t age, and they’re not allowed to leave or ‘bad things’ will happen.”

 

“And people that live outside of town aren’t allowed in?” Amy asked.

 

“Y-yeah,” Emma answered taken aback by her statement.

 

“Wait, let me guess,” Rory chimed in, “is the mayor the wicked stepmother from Cinderella?”

 

“Close,” Emma laughed. “She’s the Evil Queen from Snow White.”

 

“What character does Henry think you are?” Amy inquired.

 

Again, Emma paused feeling embarrassed. “Promise you won’t laugh,” when they gave her their word, she continued, “the reason Henry came to find me a few months back was because… He thinks I’m Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter. Snow and Charming knew about the curse, and when I was born, they sent me to this world so that I would come back twenty-eight years later and break the curse. Apparently I’m the ‘Chosen One’.”

 

Amy and Rory looked at her thoughtfully.

 

“Crazy, right?” Emma filled the silence.

 

“It’s not the craziest thing ever, trust us,” Rory commented. “How are you suppose to break this curse?”

 

“Hell if I know,” she admitted sipping her hot chocolate. “I don’t even believe in this whole thing.”

 

“And Henry thinks that you do,” Amy stated.

 

“He thinks I’ll believe soon,” she told them. “Honestly, I think he’s using the storybook as a way to escape from how bad his life with Regina is. She has him attending therapy sessions twice a week.”

 

Amy nodded. That she could understand. “Um,” she began, “is it alright if we borrow this storybook? We promise to give it back to you tomorrow.”

 

Emma quirked an eyebrow at them. “So, I take it that you two are staying the night in town?”

 

Amy and Rory exchanged a quick look and nodded. “We’re not in a big rush to leave.”

 

“Great!” came Ruby’s voice as she came out of the kitchen. “Granny also has a bed and breakfast right behind the diner.”

 

“Ruby, were you listening to us the whole time?” Emma accused.

 

“No,” she answered honestly. “I just heard that last bit.”

 

Emma only shook her head and turned back to Amy. “Bring it by the station tomorrow afternoon.” After requesting a to go cup for her cocoa and ordered a sandwich, Sheriff Swan the diner leaving the storybook with the Ponds.

 

“Very odd, don’t you think?” Rory piped up.

 

“What?” Amy asked confused.

 

“A town full of cursed fairytale characters.”

 

“Not as weird as a town of alien-possessed old people that can kill you by breathing on you.”

 

Rory laughed awkwardly and went back to his pie. The couple finished their meal as they read the first few pages of the fairytale with the Doctor in it.


	4. Theories & Deals

((-Fairy Tale World-))

 

The Doctor just sat there; staring at the man who had saved his life. He had very rough skin with an interesting color tone that, under the moon’s reflection from the lake, looked a mixture of grey and green. He wore a dark leather suit with a high collar and a scooped v-neck. Short, curly, sand-brown hair framed his impish face and his dark eyes held a glint of mischief. “Are you going to sit there and stare at me like a blubbering fish all night?” he joked with a high pitch giggle; revealing a row of rotted teeth.

 

Awkwardly, the Doctor pushed himself from the ground to stand on shaky feet, still wired up from his spout with the siren. “I guess I should be thanking you,” he said uneasily.

 

“I told you there was no need,” the man insisted. “Ursula owed me a debt that she never paid,” he shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.

 

The Doctor stood silent letting what the man meant sink in. He looked back at the lake where the water was slightly darkened from Ursula’s blood and back at his hero. “So that’s what you do?” the time lord asked incredulous. “Go off killing people because they don’t pay off your debts?! That’s insane!”

 

“Well, it’s not my fault if certain customers forget the most important rule,” he then held up his fingers to emphasize: “All magic comes with a price. And let’s not forget that she almost killed you, dearie. It was either kill the siren or let you drown. Of course, I don’t know who you are, but I still like you better than her,” he gave another impish laugh.

 

With an agitated sigh, the Doctor dropped the subject. “Who are you, anyway?”

 

“Rumpelstiltskin!” he announced with bravado. “At your service,” he then stooped low and gave a sweeping bow.

 

“Rumpelstiltskin…” the Doctor repeated, thinking out loud.

 

Rumpelstiltskin looked up annoyed. “That’s what I just said.” He then straightened back up. “And who pray tell might you be?” he pointed at him on the word ‘you’.

 

“I’m the Doctor,” the time lord said with just as much bravado, and did a mock bow, albeit not as graceful as the other man’s.

 

The imp looked at him with curious eyes. “The Doctor?” he repeated with interest. “Doctor who?”

 

“Actually, it’s just the Doctor,” he said matter-of-factly. “You’d be surprised how many people ask that.”

 

“I’m sure I would,” Rumpelstiltskin replied sarcastically. “So, the Doctor. What brings you to the Enchanted Forest?” he began to take slow steps circling the Doctor.

 

“Well, actually,” he began spinning his head around so he could face him, “My friends and I were travelling when we hit a… ‘Bump’ in the road, so to speak.” He paused to do an about-face turn as Rumpelstiltskin moved to the other side. “Long story short, we got separated and my transport has gone missing-“

 

“I see,” he interrupted, “and you require my services?”

 

“I’m not so sure,” the Doctor said warily. “If what happened with the siren was a consequence of one of your ‘services’, then I’m not interested.”

 

“Oh, don’t fret, dearie,” Rumpelstiltskin assured. “Consequences like hers only happen if you don’t fulfill your end of the bargain. Magic is very powerful, and should never be taken,” he paused for dramatic effect, “… lightly.”

 

“Humph, magic,” he scoffed. “A science used by the power of words. Last time I had to deal with this, Carrionites were trying to destroy Elizabethan England using one of Shakespeare’s lost plays.”

 

Rumpelstiltskin smile tightened. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

“You don’t? But how could you-” a light bulb went off in the Doctor’s head. “Oh! I get it now,” he began to pace back and forth like he usually did when he figured everything out. “Your name is Rumpelstiltskin. That’s the name of the goblin in the fairytale who spun straw into gold if you made deals with him,” he began to ramble. “Wait a second. Fairytales don’t exist; they’re just stories made up for entertainment- Oh, of course! Sirens don’t exist on any planet- well, unless you count the time we went on a pirate ship- but she couldn’t change her form like Ursula- Oh my Rassilon!” he exclaimed. “The fog on the monitor! The last time I had seen it was when I sent Rose back to Bad Wolf Bay. Which makes this a parallel universe, and YOU sir!” he pointed at Rumpelstiltskin who stood still watching the time lord pacing around. “You claim to wield magic just like the creature in the fairytale, and you made a deal with the siren just like he did the miller’s daughter. I am in an alternate universe where fairytale characters are real,” he smiled. “Oh, this is so brilliant!”

 

Rumpelstiltskin stared at him dumbly. “You are very odd.”

 

The Doctor lips pressed into a thin line. “If you weren’t a fairytale character, you’d be more impressed with me.”

 

The Dark One flashed him another smile. “You amuse me so, dearie,” he laughed and sauntered towards the Doctor. “How about you come back to my estate with me? I can offer you a map of the entire forest.”

 

The Doctor thought it over. He only knew Rumpelstiltskin for a few minutes, and he already felt uneasy about him. He knew he didn’t have much of a choice; it was either get a map from the imp or wander into the forest, hopelessly lost and possibly getting eaten by a dragon. “If it isn’t too much trouble,” he replied.

 

“Excellent!” Rumpelstiltskin exclaimed as he put an arm around the Doctor’s shoulder. “I think you’ll rather find it rather homey,” he said as they walked. He rattled on more about his home, but the Doctor let most of it fly over his head.

 

His unease over Amy and Rory was increasing. He had hoped that they made it out alive. Once he found his TARDIS, he would use a DNA scan and track them down with that.

 

One thing he was sure of, however, was that they couldn’t be in any place weirder than where he was now.

 

((-Storybrooke-))

 

“This place is so weird!” Amy commented looking at the storybook.

 

“Yeah, I think we’ve already covered that,” Rory retaliated.

 

The young couple had rented a room at Granny’s Bed & Breakfast as Ruby had suggested; seeing as it was the only thing closest to a motel in town, they didn’t have a choice. When Granny had asked how long they were going to stay, Rory went ahead and put down money for the whole week since they weren’t sure when the Doctor would return to find them. Their room was rather small, but it would suffice. The wallpaper was a cream color with hues of pink, and the floors were a mahogany-brown that looked as if they hadn’t been waxed in years. They had a queen bed with a flowery pink & white bedspread. There was a desk in front of the bed, a dresser right by the front door on their left, and a bathroom to their right by the window.

 

Amy lay on her stomach on top of the bed as she glanced through the storybook that Henry let them borrow for the night. She didn’t get very far in the Doctor’s fairytale; only up to the point where Rumpelstiltskin invited him to his castle. She was interested in seeing the other fairytales and how they played out in this book. Just as Emma said, the curse was in there along with how her parents, Snow White and Prince Charming, met, and countless other tales.

 

“That’s exactly what I thought!” she cried pointing at a picture of Little Red Riding Hood. Rory leaned over the bed to get a better look.

 

“She looks exactly like Ruby the waitress,” he agreed.

 

“After hearing Emma talking about the curse, I began people watching wondering who was who,” she smiled up at him, excited by this little guessing game they started.

 

“So that must mean Granny is the grandmother who got eaten by the wolf in the story.”

 

“Actually,” she pointed at a paragraph next to a picture of Granny aiming her crossbow at the wolf, Snow White standing next to her, “it says here that Red is the wolf.”

 

“…huh,” Rory shrugged. “That’s a new way of twisting it,” he looked from the book to Amy. “So, we’re choosing to believe the curse is real?”

 

Amy looked at him arching her eyebrow. “I don’t see why not. All the people we’ve seen in town so far each has someone in here that looks just like them. Some of them said the same thing Ruby told us about how they haven’t had a visitor since Emma came.”

 

Rory sat on the edge of the bed as he tried to remember what else was said. “Okay, let’s put what we have so far: We are in a town where fairytale characters are frozen in time.”

 

“Right,” Amy confirmed.

 

“They don’t remember who they are, but what we read so far about the curse, the Evil Queen might be the only one who remembers.”

 

“Right.”

 

“Emma was sent to the real world so she would be protected from the curse so she could come back and break it.”

 

“Right.”

 

“None of the characters are allowed to leave Storybrooke or bad things will happen to them, and outsiders shouldn’t be allowed here.”

 

“Right- wait,” Amy stopped, paused for a moment, and sat upright on the bed so she was eye level with her husband. “Remember earlier when we thought we were in a parallel universe?”

 

“Yes, and we dismissed it once we saw we were in Maine,” he bit his lip. “Are you thinking we are in a parallel Maine?”

 

“No, most of the timeline I heard on the radio earlier seems pretty much align with the same timeline as our world, she leaned in forward as if telling a secret.”Remember the Doctor shouting about running into a barrier while we were crashing?”

 

“Yeah,” Rory agreed then paused, the gears in his head turning. “The barrier was the curse trying to keep us out.”

 

Amy nodded smiling. “And since the storybook tells what happened in the past, that means the Doctor went further back into Storybrooke’s timeline before the curse ever happened.”

 

“That is brilliant!” Rory exclaimed as Amy hugged him, both feeling great about the conclusion they’ve come to. “But wait,” he stopped and gently pushed Amy away from him. “Ruby said there was one other person that came here after Emma and before us.”

 

“The writer,” Amy agreed remembering.

 

“How do you think he was able to get here?”

 

Amy stayed silent. She didn’t really think much about it. Maybe he was someone who had somehow escaped the curse just as Emma had. It was the only semi-logical thing she could think of. “Well, Granny said they had one other guest staying in the Bed & Breakfast; it could be him. Maybe we should ask.”

 

“Oh, that’ll work out great,” Rory gave his sarcastic reply. “What’re we gonna say? ‘Hey there, mate. My wife and I were just passing by and we wanted to know how you ended up in a town full of cursed fairytale characters.’” He looked his wife in the eye. “He’s going to think we’re crazy.”

 

“Rory,” she gave him a blank look, “you know this isn’t the craziest thing that has happened to us. He’s a writer, so he must know a lot about fairytales; maybe he’ll know how to break the curse.”

 

“But only Emma can supposedly break the curse-“

 

“I know, Rory, but she doesn’t know how,” she stopped him. “Maybe he could help her.”

 

Rory took a deep breath and stood up so he could walk the space of the small room. “Maybe we should just wait for the Doctor to get back from the fairy tale world. He’ll have some idea of what to do.”

 

“If he even does come back,” Amy blurted.

 

Rory stopped and looked at her puzzled. “Of course he will. Didn’t you read his story?” he asked rhetorically.

 

Amy looked away and shook her head.

 

“Amy, you’ve been reading that book since Emma lent it to us,” his head tilted to the side and he asked softly, “Why haven’t you finished it?”

 

The room fell into a long silence. Amy could feel her worry and apprehension bubbling in her stomach.

 

“What if his story doesn’t end happily?” she finally admitted. “What if the curse got a hold of him, and he’s somewhere in this town without any idea as to who he is ? Or…”

 

“Or?” Rory prodded gently.

 

Tears wanted to sting her eyes. “What if he broke a deal with Rumpelstiltskin and was killed like the Siren?” She turned her head to the side so her husband couldn’t see the one tear that escaped. She thought, at first, that she maybe overeating, that it was nothing to worry about… But she then remembered the hotel on the spaceship with the centaur that devoured on people’s faith; how the Doctor had to break her faith in him just so they would survive. Afterwards, he had returned them home to live the rest of their lives without him.

 

She couldn’t go through that again.

 

Wordlessly, Rory made his way to sit on the bed next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brushed away a teardrop with his thumb, causing her to look at him. “Amy,” he said gently, “The Doctor will find us. Even if he’s under the curse, we’ll help in any way we can to break it.”

 

“And what if he’s disappeared?”

 

Rory paused. He couldn’t think of the right thing to say, and the sadness in his wife’s eyes made it all the harder. “Then,” he began, an idea coming to mind, “… Then we’ll stay here and carry on his memory. We’ll fight alongside Emma’s army when the final battle against the Evil Queen comes. We’ll live in the fairytale world and go on just as many adventures as we did before.” He puffed his chest out and said in a deep voice, “I’ll be Sir Rory the Brave centurion!”

 

Amy laughed despite herself. Seeing her smile always made Rory feel good inside; even on extremely bad days.

 

She wiped away the tears and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. “I love you, Sir Rory,” she whispered. And deep down, she knew, that even if the Doctor didn’t come back and they would be forced to live in a fairytale world, she would always have Rory, beautiful and faithful Rory, by her side.

 

“I love you, too, Princess Amy,” he whispered back.

 

She smiled again. Then she leaned around him to grab the story book. The couple settled themselves comfortably on the bed and snuggled against each other as Amy turned to the page she had stopped on in the Doctor’s story.

 

“‘The rest of the way is too long to walk,’ said the elusive Rumpelstiltskin,” Amy read aloud. “‘I suggest we take a short cut.’ He grasped the Doctor’s should and, with a flick of the wrist, the two men disappeared in a puff of smoke…”

 

((-Fairy Tale World-))

 

Once Rumpelstiltskin let go of him, the Doctor coughed, fanning the smoke away from his face. Before the Dark One had transported them (Surprising him out of nowhere without even asking his permission), he had involuntarily shut his eyes. Now that he opened them, he was amazed.

 

Of course, travelling in a TARDIS for 900 years, he wasn’t usually surprised by teleporting to different places. The difference here was that his current ‘ally’ (he refused the word companion) didn’t have a TARDIS, or even a vortex manipulator. Just a snap of his fingers, and they were in a new place.

 

“Do my eyes deceive me, or is that the look of a new magic-believer,” the dealmaker joked as he made with way to a long, brown table with a red-velvet chair at the end. The rest of the room had light-pink walls that looked fuchsia under the dim lighting, a spinning wheel in the corner with a basket of straw next to it, and a display case with see-through doors, displaying all of his treasures. The two, giant windows in the room were covered by thick, red velvet curtains so not even the light from the moon could get through.

 

“I admit I’m impressed with your show of…” the Doctor paused searching for the right word, “…’theatrics’. I still stick by my beliefs.” He walked closer to where he sat and ran a finger across the surface of the table. He pulled it back, examining the smidge of dust it collected. “Seems someone as profiting as you would at least have a caretaker around to keep this place tidy,” he quipped rubbing the dust away between his thumb and index finger.

 

Rumpelstiltskin frowned. “I’m trying to help you out, Doctor,” he sneered darkly catching the time lord off guard. “The least you could do is hold back your opinions on how I handle my estate.” They stared at each other a long moment, the Doctor apologizing with a quiet look. Laying further back in his chair, Rumpelstiltskin flourished his hand aside and a matching velvet chair appeared right beside him. “Have a seat,” he offered with a more, softer sneer, “please.”

 

Wordlessly, the Doctor sat down in the chair, ignoring his curiosity of the imp’s sudden outburst. Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand again and a silver tray with a golden tea set appeared. As he silently began pouring tea, the time lord let his eyes wander over the rest of the room. On one side of the display case, he saw two of the creepiest puppets he ever laid eyes on hanging from a coat rack; and he had once faced off weeping angels! Not wanting to stare at them for too long, he looked at the other side of the display case and saw a gold pedestal.

 

On top of it sat a tea cup.

 

A simple, white tea cup with a blue, tree limb design and a gold line around the rim. This was surprising since, as he could tell from the display case, Rumpelstiltskin seemed the man who put pride in very valuable things such as jewelry and other trinkets made of fine material. He would’ve expected the jeweled goblet he caught a glimpse of to be set on the display of such high respect rather than a small cup which, upon closer inspection, he could see it was chipped at the top.

 

Maybe there was more to this person than the Doctor even knew.

 

“Sugar?” Rumpelstiltskin’s voice brought him back to reality.

 

“Um, two lumps please,” the Doctor looked back at him as the imp dropped two lumps into a cup of hot liquid and offered it to him with a spoon. He took it graciously and began stirring.

 

“Would you mind telling me more about these ‘friends’ that you are looking for?” sensing the Doctor’s hesitation, Rumpelstiltskin added, “If I’m going to help you out, dearie, it would be helpful to know what I’m looking for.” He laughed his odd laugh again.

 

The Doctor took a sip of tea before replying, “I’m looking for two people. One is a woman named Amy. She has long red hair, speaks with a Scottish accent, and wears short skirts. I mean, she has nice legs, but not good for cold weather,” he added dismissively. “The other is her husband Rory. He’s slightly taller, brown hair, big nose, a bit bumbling. If we find him dead, I wouldn’t worry, he somehow finds away to come back.”

 

“I see,” Rumpelstiltskin said slowly, intrigued by the way he describes his companions. “And what of your… ‘transport’?”

 

“Let’s see,” he took another sip of his tea. “It’s tall, wooden, and blue. It’s shaped like a box with doors on it, and it says ‘Police Box’ on it.”

 

“Unusual design for a carriage,” Rumpelstiltskin remarked. “Let’s just hope your horses haven’t run off.”

 

“Actually, it doesn’t run on horses,” the Doctor smiled. “It flies by itself.”

 

Rumpelstiltskin choked on his tea. He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Forgive me, did you just claim to travel in a flying… box? Without horses or dragons?”

 

The Doctor nodded.

 

The imp pushed his tea aside and leaned forward, suddenly intrigued. “What an odd way to travel,” he remarked quietly.

 

“Well, I’m a very odd man,” he agreed.

 

“But are you really?” Rumpelstiltskin asked in the same tone. “A man, I mean,” when the Doctor said nothing, he continued. “Ursula claimed that no man had the power to resist the temptations and spells of a siren, and she’s right; no human man ever has.”

 

The Doctor stiffened. So it seems he finally figured it out, he thought. “To be perfectly honest,” he began, relaxing himself, “I’m not human.”

 

“If you’re not human, then what exactly are you?” he looked at him pointedly.

 

The Doctor chose his words carefully. “Let’s just say… I’m from another world.” Rumpelstiltskin looked at him as if he wanted him to continue. This made the Doctor feel good; he had control of the situation now. “In my world, science holds all of the logistics and facts. There are no dragons or sirens or transporting by way of purple smoke. In my world, magic doesn’t even exist!”

 

Rumpelstiltskin’s eyebrows rose up and a wide, disturbing smile spread across his face, flashing his yellow teeth. “I see,” he purred.

 

The Doctor then wondered if he had just made some kind of mistake. Before he could figure out what it was, Rumpelstiltskin sat straight up and folded his hands together on the table in a business-like manner.

 

“Doctor,” he said casually, “I believe now is the time that you and I made a deal.”


	5. Suspicions & Sneakiness

((-Storybrooke-))

 

It was 11:30 am and Emma Swan sat in her office at the Police Station. She sat at her desk nursing the headache she received this morning with a cup of hot tea and Advil. She knew she had a long day ahead of her.

 

She had just got back from the hospital asking Kathryn some questions about her disappearance. She didn’t remember much aside from being locked in a basement for weeks on end. Obviously, Emma couldn’t go around knocking on every door in town asking if they had a basement in their homes. She had run into a dead end.

 

She leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index. Things weren’t making any sense. If the heart they found by the toll bridge wasn’t Kathryn’s, then why did it have her DNA on it? Did the kidnapper take some of her blood and planted it in the heart? What about the original DNA of the heart? Was the heart cut out of some poor citizen unlucky enough to cross the kidnapper’s path? Did they drain the heart from its original blood?

 

Emma almost threw up just thinking about it.

 

She had spent most of this time trying to prove that Regina was the one who murdered Kathryn and tried to frame Mary Margaret. If she was alive this whole time, what was Regina planning to do with her once Mary Margaret was in Boston? Let her go? They would bring Mary Margaret back dropping all of the charges.

 

There was something more, Emma could feel it, but she couldn’t see it. Regina wasn’t crafty enough to pull off something like this by herself; she must’ve had an accomplice. Her thoughts went immediately to Mr. Gold, the shady pawnbroker. She quickly dismissed the thought. He was Mary’s lawyer, and he made it clear he wanted to help her. Then again-

 

“Ugh!” Emma groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. She had no hope of ever figuring this out. All she could do at this point was wait for witnesses to come forward with whatever information they had for her.

 

“Sheriff Swan?” an all too familiar voice called.

 

Emma’s headache was on the verge of returning once she saw Madame Mayor herself appear at the door of her office. “Yes, Regina?” she asked, trying to mask her disdain.

 

“I just thought I’d stop by and see how things were coming with the case,” she stated with fake sincerity.

 

“I haven’t had much progress,” the sheriff admitted. “I visited Kathryn this morning, and she doesn’t remember anything about her kidnapper. All she knew was that she was locked in a basement this whole time.”

 

“I see,” she sat down in the chair in front of her desk. “Have you been asking any of the other citizens if they had any clues?”

 

“That’s what I’ve been doing since Kathryn disappeared,” Emma almost shouted. She already knew she was running in circles; Regina didn’t have to rub it in.

 

“What about that couple who just came into town?”

 

Emma paused to look at the mayor’s serious expression. “You mean Amy and Rory?” She shook her head. “Are you kidding?”

 

“Don’t you find it odd that just after Kathryn is found behind the diner, those two show up out of nowhere?” she asked.

 

“Mere coincidence,” she argued. “There’s no way those two could have had anything to do with this. They’re just passing through.”

 

“So were Bonnie and Clyde right before they robbed all of those banks,” she commented with that scary calm tone of hers.

 

Emma blew out an agitated breath. “This is ridiculous.”

 

She ignored her comment and insisted, “Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to question them. Something seemed… Off about them.”

 

'Everyone seems “off” to you because you’re bat-crap crazy!' Emma wisely bit back that remark and replaced it with, “Okay, I’ll talk to them, but be prepared for an ‘I told you so.’”

 

Regina gave a little glare before she got up and left the building. Once she heard the door to the station shut, she grabbed two more Advil and popped them into her mouth before downing it with what was left of her tea.

 

'I should be getting a raise for all of the b.s. I have to put up with from her.'

 

((-Fairy Tale World-))

 

“I’m not so sure about this,” the Doctor whispered to himself staring out at the castle miles before him.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now, dearie,” Rumpelstiltskin joked letting the tree branch jut back up so their view was blocked again.

 

“I not getting cold feet,” he lied, fidgeting with the sonic screwdriver in his pocket. “I’m just not sure if this plan is foolproof.”

 

“What’s not to trust?” the Dark One asked curiously. “I know every nook and cranny of the Evil Queen’s castle better than she.”

 

“Then why don’t you go in there and take whatever it is she stole?” the time lord shot back.

 

“Because,” he said slowly. “What I need is hidden in her personal chamber, which she keeps heavily guarded, especially to keep me away.”

 

“Really? That’s surprising,” was the Doctor’s sarcastic reply.

 

He had to keep reminding himself that he was doing this for Amy, Rory, and his TARDIS. Rumpelstiltskin had promised the Doctor that he would help find his friends if he would sneak into the Evil Queen’s castle and take back whatever it was she stole from him.

 

“Let me go over this again, dearie,” the imp stood in front of him. “Tonight, the Queen is having a grand ball, invited are most of the kingdoms that dare stay on her good side,” he then pointed at the Doctor. “Your job is to take a drink of this,” he gracefully slipped a hand into the inside of his cloak pocket and pulled out a vile filled with dark blue liquid.

 

“And what is that?” the Doctor pointed at the vile imitating the same mocking position as him.

 

“This is an invisibility potion, Doctor,” he smiled darkly, holding the vile up higher so the liquid glowed under the moonlight. “Once you drink this potion, you will be able to sneak through the gate next to the arriving carriages unnoticed. Even your clothing will change as you do,” he glanced at the Doctor’s attire disapprovingly, “Especially that ridiculous thing around your neck.”

 

“It’s a bow tie,” he glared, placing a hand over his adored accessory. “Bow ties are cool.”

 

“Cool?” Rumpelstiltskin looked at him funny. “Is the temperature of it important?”

 

“No it’s… Never mind,” the Doctor waved it off. “How long will that potion keep me invisible for?”

 

“For one hour, exactly!” he declared, “Which will give you enough time to run upstairs to her chamber and back. As long as you’re quick enough,” at the word ‘quick’, he tossed the vile at the Doctor who clumsily caught it.

 

“And will you tell me what it is exactly that I’m looking for?”

 

“It’ll be in a black, satin bag,” he explained. “It will most likely be on her vanity table so her puny little mirror can keep an eye on it.”

 

The Doctor didn’t even bother asking what he meant by that. “Anything else I should know?”

 

Rumpelstiltskin tapped a finger on his chin, thinking. “Oh yes!” he smiled. “Just to be on the safe side, once you grab the bag, sneak out through one of the windows in the dungeon rather than the front entrance.”

 

“Alright,” the Doctor replied unsure He pocketed the vile and began walking the path towards the castle.

 

“Good luck, Doctor!” Rumpelstiltskin called after him. “Remember! One hour!”

 

….

 

The Doctor crouched behind a section of rose bushes near the wall blocking off the castle’s entrance. He took note of his surroundings; there were two guards at the top of the wall to open the gate, and two guards at the bottom to identify the carriages.

 

When he had made his way down the path towards the castle, he noticed a poster nailed to a tree. It had a drawing of a beautiful girl with black hair. The Doctor could tell she was of royalty by the way her hair was pinned up and the regal expression she wore in the drawing. It claimed she was wanted for crimes against the Queen he was about to steal from. The Doctor had scrunched up his nose when he saw what she was being accused of. She didn’t seem like the type of girl capable of murder. And didn’t treason and treachery both mean the same thing?

 

I always thought fairytales were a bit bizarre, he thought to himself.

 

He heard the sound of hoof beats coming down the road. The castle was already filled with carriages by the time they got there, which was Rumpelstiltskin’s plan:

“We wait until one of the last carriages arrives before you sneak in. It’s best to steal when the castle is full of people so we know the Queen will be distracted.”

 

He watched as a grey-blue carriage with brown horses trotted up the path. Once they were close enough, the Doctor took the vile out of his jacket. He stared at the peculiar liquid before uncorking it and bringing it to his lips.

 

“Here goes nothing,” he muttered just before downing every last drop.

 

He coughed a little bit causing him to drop the vile into the bushes. It was the nastiest stuff he ever tasted; nastier than bread and butter!

 

He looked down at his hands and watched in surprise as his fingertips vanished! His fingers, knuckles, palms, wrists, even the cuffs of his shirt were turning invisible just as the Dark One had said. It wasn’t long before the Doctor was completely see-through.

 

“Oh, this is brilliant!” he couldn’t help but whisper his excitement.

 

He looked up to see the carriage had stopped. The guards were talking to the driver. As quietly as he could, the Doctor slinked away from his spot and tip-toed to where the guard had stood by the gate. He was right by the entrance when one of the guards signaled the others on the wall to raise the gate up. The loud sound of the wooden gate being lifted almost made him jump. Once the gate was lifted to the height of his knees, he dropped to the ground, crawled under, and pressed his back to the other side of the wall as tight as he could.

 

No one seemed to have noticed him; the Doctor sighed in relief. Assured that he couldn’t be seen, the Doctor got up and casually walked to the main castle entrance just behind the carriage. For that brief moment, the Time Lord had nothing to worry about.


	6. Searching...

((-Storybrooke-))

Just as they had promised, Amy and Rory were at the police station to return Henry’s storybook to Emma. It was a bit of a walk from Granny’s Bed & Breakfast, but it gave them a chance to see more of Storybrooke. It reminded them of their home of Leadworth, the small town feel and the hospitality of the citizens.

 

Well, most of them, anyway.

 

They saw Mayor Mills on their way to the Sheriff’s station. They didn’t interact; she just gave them one of her signature glares and walked into City Hall. Luckily, Rory was smart enough to hide the book underneath his jacket.

 

“Do you think he’s okay?” Amy asked when she was out of sight.

 

“I’m sure he’s fine,” he replied, squeezing her shoulder.

 

They had read the rest of the Doctor’s fairy tale the night before. They didn’t know where he was at the moment, but they were positive that he was still alive. All they had to do was wait for the right time…

 

They didn’t really know what to expect when they got to the police station. There were only two jail cells in the whole place. Leadworth at least had a jail big enough to fit a pub. There was only one person in one of the two cells: it was one of the guys they saw at Granny’s the previous day. It took them a minute to remember that Ruby called this guy Leroy. He was passed out on the bed. From what Rory could smell, he must’ve been drunk.

 

“I was wondering when you two were gonna show,” Emma called out casually standing in the doorway between her office and the rest of the room.

 

“We brought the book back like we promised,” Amy smiled at the sheriff as Rory unwrapped the book from his jacket. “We hid it in case the mayor walked by us.”

 

“How did you know we hide it from Regina?” Emma asked, excepting the book from Amy’s husband.

 

“Observation, really,” Rory admitted. “The way Henry slammed the bag over it yesterday when she walked in… We assumed.”

 

Emma nodded, placing the book in the large drawer under the sheriff’s desk. “Well, it’s a good thing you two are here,” she said. “I have some questions to ask you.”

 

Amy and Rory looked at each other, both wearing confused expressions.

 

“You see,” Emma began sitting down behind the desk, the couple occupied the two chairs in front. “A few weeks ago, we had someone turn up missing. Her name was Kathryn Nolan,” the two nodded signaling that they were paying attention. “For a while, we thought someone had murdered her because we found something…” she paused a moment, trying to figure out how to say it delicately.

 

“What did you find?” Rory prodded.

 

“A human heart,” Emma blurted.

 

The Pond’s eyes widened. “You…” Amy tried to say. “You found a human heart?”

 

“We sent it for DNA testing, and it came back positive for Kathryn,” the sheriff continued.

 

“Did you find out who killed her?” Rory asked.

 

Emma bit her lip, remembering the weeks Mary Margaret spent in jail. “It was found in my best friend’s jewelry box buried by the toll bridge. The DA found her guilty and she was going to jail in Boston.”

 

Amy could see from Emma’s expression that her friend didn’t do anything. “Did you ever find out who really killed her?”

 

Emma looked up at Amy. She was surprised to find that this person already believed Mary Margaret was innocent. Had they even met yet? “The day Mary Margaret was supposed to leave for Boston, we found Kathryn’s body behind Granny’s diner,” she paused again, still trying to wrap her mind around it, “… Alive.”

 

The couple donned matching expressions of shock.

 

When they said nothing, Emma continued. “She’d been locked in a basement these past few weeks and doesn’t remember who her kidnapper is.”

 

“… What?” was all Rory would spit out.

 

“But,” Amy tried, “You found her heart.”

 

“I don’t understand it either,” Emma held her hands up in defense. “I’m just working with whatever is getting thrown in front of me.”

 

Rory gave the sheriff a funny look. “Why exactly are you telling us this?” Amy looked at him confused and he added, “You don’t think we know anything do you?”

 

Emma shook her head. “Regina,” she drew the name out as if she were scraping plaque off of her tongue, “seems to think that just because you two happen to show up a day after we found Kathryn that you had something to do with her disappearance.”

 

Amy sat upright in her chair. “Emma, I can promise you that Rory and I had nothing to do with it.”

 

“I know,” she folded her arms across her chest. “I can tell when someone is lying or not. Also, I have a theory that Regina had something to do with it.”

 

“Why would Regina have anything to do with it?” Amy asked. She knew the answer to be “Because she’s the Evil Queen and that’s what she does”, but she had to be careful because Emma didn’t believe in the curse.

 

“She doesn’t like Mary Margaret,” Emma shrugged. “I don’t know why. Mary told me she didn’t do anything to her.”

 

“She probably figured out that poison apples wouldn’t work,” Rory blurted, causing Amy to shoot him a warning glare.

 

“I see Henry’s fairy tales are still stuck in your mind,” Emma gave them a pointed look.

 

“We might’ve skimmed through it,” Amy replied.

 

“To be honest,” Rory began, sitting up in his chair, “We noticed how much the characters mirror the people in this town. Both the mayor and the queen being mean, the town drunk short and… Grumpy.”

 

“Hey!” called a rough voice from behind. The three of them turned to see Leroy sitting up on his bed, a mask of sleep still on his face.

 

“A little bit early for you, isn’t it?” Emma joked as she stood up and took a set of keys off of a hook by her desk.

“I would’ve slept longer if it weren’t for you three jabbering about,” Leroy glared at Rory.

 

“I don’t work around you’re sleeping schedule, Leroy,” she shot back standing in front of the cell. “Now, if I let you go, will you promise to at least try and stay out of trouble tonight?”

 

“Hey, the doc was asking for it,” the drunk insisted.

 

“Dr. Whale suggested you cut back on the drinking and you punched him in the face.”

 

“It’s not like I did any damage.”

 

“He was wearing a nose cast when I saw him this morning!”

 

“… I didn’t do permanent damage,” Leroy smiled sheepishly.

 

Emma rolled her eyes. “Do you promise?” she asked again.

 

“Can I take a swing at big nose over there?” he nodded at Rory, remembering his remark he made about him.

 

“I’d like to see you try,” Rory shot back.

 

“Rory,” Amy tugged at his arm, “I am not having you spend the night in jail for fighting with the town drunk.”

 

“But he started it,” Rory whined.

 

“I don’t care, I’m finishing it,” Amy snapped.

 

Ignoring everyone else, Emma told Leroy, “I’ll buy you lunch if you can avoid having any alcohol.” The last thing she wanted was a fight to break out in the police station. It would’ve been too ironic.

 

“Just one drink?” Leroy bargained, holding up a finger and flashing his puppy eyes.

 

Emma held her stoic face. “That doesn’t work on me, not even coming from Henry.

 

Leroy shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying, sister.”

 

Emma unlocked the cell and pulled the door back. “Wait for be by the front door and I’ll walk you to Granny’s.”

 

With a huff, Leroy stood up from the bed and walked out of the cell. Shooting one last glare at Rory, he left the room.

 

“Well, that’s one way to get a date,” Emma joked bitterly. “You two are welcome to join us if you like,” she asked the couple.

 

Amy and Rory looked at each other, shrugged, and followed Emma out of the station.

 

((-Fairy Tale World-))

 

He heard the sound of an orchestra resonating from the entrance to the ballroom. He watched as guests in elaborate dresses and trousers walked hand in hand through the open grey/black doors. No one made eye contact with him or pay him any attention at all.

 

This assured the Doctor that Rumpelstiltskin’s invisibility potion had worked.

 

The time lord was firm on his beliefs about magic, but he had to admit he was impressed with what the imp was able to accomplish. He realized that if he was going to survive in this world, he was going to have to play by its rules… for now.

 

Once he saw that no one else around him he tip-toed to the entrance and peeked behind the door. All of the guests he saw entering earlier were now dancing along to the orchestra playing in the far corner of the ballroom. He found the Evil Queen easily enough; she was the only one wearing a black ball gown. Rumpelstiltskin had said she was fond of wearing black since her husband had “passed away” (He even used air quotes when he told him this; it made the Doctor queasy).

 

Just as the Dark One predicted, she was distracted trying to please all of the other guests. With one last sweep of the ballroom, he turned and started running the halls

 

…

 

The castle seemed to go on forever. Endless hallways and staircases were starting to make him dizzy. The castle itself held a foreboding darkness that made one feel a sense of terror and loneliness. The only thing that seemed to give off any kind of life was the apple tree he saw outside next to an unattended garden.

 

Another thing he noticed were the mirrors. They seemed to be everywhere. There would be at least ten mirrors on each wall that he had past. "She must like looking at herself," he thought with a snort. "If I had this many mirrors on the TARDIS, I’d go nuts… River probably wouldn’t mind it though… Jack, obviously."

 

Forty-five minutes of glancing through as many rooms as possible and roaming the hallways had brought him to the top floor. There was one room at the end of the hall with elaborate, grey doors; it had to be the Queen’s suite. Luckily, he didn’t see any guards there… This struck him as odd. Rumpelstiltskin didn’t say anything about guards at all, and the Doctor assumed that it would be heavily guarded.

 

Was this all a trap? Was Rumpelstiltskin setting him up for failure?

 

We had a deal, the time lord reminded himself. The Dark One claimed that he never went back on any deals. He never went back on his deals in the fairy tale about him either, he remembered. Again, the Doctor had to remind himself that Rumpelstiltskin was the only person he could trust. He needed his magic to find Amy and Rory.

 

He dashed over to the door. He jerked on one of the handles noticing it was locked. He rubbed a finger across the crack where both doors met and tasted it; metal. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and bleeped at the lock until he heard it click.

 

As graceful as a snake, the Doctor slipped through the door. He marveled at the suite. The walls were dark ebony, her four-poster bed donned deep red sheets, and the frame was silver. She had a sitting area off in the corner, and a vanity with a large mirror attached and a smaller hand mirror propped next to it. He was about to make another comment about the Queen’s vanity when he saw it; a small black satin bag.

 

With slow steps, he made his way to the vanity as if he were in an Indiana Jones movie. He stood there and stared at the bag for a minute. It wasn’t rather large; it looked big enough to hold River’s diary. He reached out a trembling hand towards the bag almost afraid a snake would jump out and bite him.

 

He held his hand still, hovering over the bag. Then he took a deep breath and snatched it up in the blink of an eye.

 

He stood still a moment, the bag clutched to his chest and his eyes closed. Everything stayed quiet as it did before. Relieved, the Doctor forced out of breath he forgot he was holding in. He looked down at the bag in his hand. It wasn’t as heavy as he thought it might be. He jerked it up a little; it felt like maybe it was an ounce or two.

 

His natural curiosity taking over, the Doctor peeked into the bag. He didn’t know what to expect, really. Rumpelstiltskin said that it was something the Evil Queen stole from him. He had theorized that it was probably jewels, money… Maybe the tea set that went with the chipped tea cup he kept on a pedestal.

 

This, of course, was the last thing on his list.

 

“An apple?” the Doctor blurted out loud, baffled. Why would Rumpelstiltskin care if someone stole an apple from him? Better yet, why would the Evil Queen steal an apple from someone when she had an apple tree in her back yard?

 

“Who’s there?!”

 

The Doctor’s head shot up, quickly closing the bag and hiding it behind his back. He saw a movement by the vanity table. The larger mirror turned black and a blue light shown through it. There was a face inside the mirror!

 

“Who’s in here?!” the face asked, moving around trying to get a glimpse of the room.

 

The time lord’s brain did that funny thing where everything started ticking a mile a second when he started to figure something out. Evil Queen… Apple tree… Talking mirror…

 

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!” the Doctor exclaimed. “Oh, this is truly brilliant! One of my favorite fairytales- Well, actually that would be Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday, but close enough-“

 

“Whoever you are, you might as well show yourself,” the mirror interrupted his blabbering. “I can hear you- the bag!”

 

It took a second for the Doctor to remember that he was still invisible. The mirror wasn’t looking right at him; it was looking through him. Instead of a man hiding something behind his back, the mirror saw a bag floating in midair.

 

“Time to run!” and the Doctor did just that.


	7. Escape Routes

((-Fairy Tale World-))

The Doctor ran as fast as he could, shoving the small bag into the inside pocket of his jacket as he went. He ran down flights of stairs faster than when he was sneaking up them earlier. He didn’t give much thought to any guards who might’ve happened to pass him, knowing that the time when the potion would stop working hadn’t come yet.

 

Once he was back on the first floor, he began skidding through the hallways searching for the dungeon. The sounds of stomping and metal clinking together rang through, causing the Doctor to press his back against a stone cold wall. A band of guards in dark armor ran right past him. They turned a corner, heading the way the Doctor just came from. The loud footsteps faded as they went until the hallway went quiet.

 

The time lord let out a ragged breath, his back sliding down the wall into a sitting position. He was almost out of breath. One would think a “jog” through the castle would be nothing compared to all the other times he ran from danger; they would be wrong. 

 

He let his head bang against the wall behind him; surprisingly causing the brick he hit to push itself further into the wall. Before the Doctor could question his true strength, he felt himself spin in a 180 degree angle, the wall going with him. 

 

“A trap door,” he whispered, glancing back at the wall he still sat against.

 

He found himself in another room; a tunnel to be exact. It was mostly dark with dim light coming from a couple of torches, and it stunk of mold and dirt. He stood up from his sitting position and slowly marched forward.

 

The tunnel seemed to go on forever, and their were no windows to escape through yet. He was tempted to grab one of the torches that sparsely lined the walls on this path, but didn’t want to scare anyone who’d happen to pass by with a floating torch. He’d been in castles before, and tunnels like this usually led to dungeons. He hoped that enchanted, fairytale castles weren’t that different. 

 

He finally reached a door at the end of the hallway. It was wooden with a rusted black knob. He twisted the knob, but the door wouldn’t open. He growled in the back of his throat. He couldn’t use the sonic screwdriver because it didn’t work on wood. He ran a hand along the cracks on the side and gently knocked a few spots. He had hoped to be sneaky about this whole venture, but he bitterly reminded himself that those hopes were thrown out the window once the mirror caught him.

 

He pulled himself up, took a step back, and kicked the door down!

 

The now useless board of wood fell to the ground sending up a stream of dust in it’s wake. He stepped through the threshold and finally found himself in the dungeon.

 

Iron bars covered the room separating in different sections to hold different prisoners. Moonlight spilled through windows set high above the walls. The room was oddly quiet. He spotted a few unconscious lumps lying against haystacks inside some of the cells, but the place was mostly empty.

 

He spotted a pile of stones next to a barred window. He skipped forward, propping himself on the stone pile. He grabbed a hold of the bars and looked outside, his face inches from a pile of grass.

 

“Rumpelstiltskin,” he whispered urgently. “I’ve got it! Help me out!”

 

There was no reply. He quickly glanced behind him to see if anyone was coming. He raised his voice once he was in the clear. “Rumpelstiltskin! I have the apple! Get me out of here!”

 

There was still no reply.

 

Angry, he subconsciously shouted, “RUMPEL-“

 

He stopped, eyes widening. He saw his white-knuckled hands gripping the bar as tight as he could. The hour was up; the invisibility potion had worn off.

 

“Stop right where you are,” called a low, menacing voice.

 

 

((-Storybrooke-))

 

A week had passed since Amy and Rory arrived in Storybrooke. During that time, they had gotten to know some of the townsfolk very well. Amy had thought Archie was nice even though she never liked psychiatrists to begin with. Rory still didn’t like Leroy very much, but the two of them kept their distance. Both of them automatically liked Mary Margaret when they met her at her “Welcome Home” party (Which sounds a lot better than “We’re so glad you’re not a serial killer” party).

 

Regina, on the other hand, wasn’t pleased that the Ponds were still there. She had scolded Emma for not doing her job, but the sheriff fought back saying that she did question them and that they were totally innocent. Eventually, the mayor bribed the newspaper editor, Sidney Glass, to take the fall for Kathryn’s kidnapping. Glass was locked up somewhere, and Emma, taking Ruby’s suggestion, told Regina that she was taking Henry back.

 

……………….

 

Amy and Rory had just arrived back at Granny’s Bed & Breakfast after their leisurely stroll through Storybrooke. They did this most nights, looking for any signs of the Doctor or waiting to hear the TARDIS’ materializing sounds. So far, they found no leads. They went to every place they could find answers. The only place they didn’t look was Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop.

 

They had stopped there before, but the shop was closed. When they had asked Emma about the pawnbroker, she told them that he wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with. He was very rich and craved the power he had over Storybrooke.

 

Amy and Rory theorized that Mr. Gold may be Rumpelstiltskin. They had no way of proving it, nor did they know if he remembered his fairy tale persona or not.

 

But they were going to find out.

 

“So how are we supposed to break into a pawn shop?” Rory asked once they reached their floor. “Without a sonic screwdriver, I mean.”

 

Amy shrugged. “We’ll kick down the door, I guess. That usually worked for us in the past.”

 

“Okay,” Rory drew the word out, uncertain. “I was thinking of how we break in without causing chaos. The mayor already tried to frame us for kidnapping; breaking into a shop won’t exactly put us in a good light.”

 

“I don’t know,” she shook her head. “Maybe borrow hairpins from Ruby would work.”

 

Both of them stopped when they heard something heavy fall on the floor, followed by a groan. It was coming from the room at the end of the hall. Amy and Rory dashed to the door, pushing it open with as much force as possible. Once they were in, they saw a man laying face first on the floor, bobbing his head as if trying to force himself up. 

 

“Are you alright?” Amy asked as the couple bent down to help the man up.

 

“Yeah, it was nothing,” the man struggled to say, gasping out as much breath as he could. “Just put me on the bed.”

 

They did just that. They both noticed that he was a tad lighter than one would expect a full grown man to be. They laid him on his back, pushing his legs and arms together. Amy’s hand accidentally brushed the sleeve of his shirt up and she jumped back with a gasp. 

 

He had a wooden arm.

 

The man and Rory looked at her alarmed, and then Rory noticed his arm. “You’re… made of wood?”

 

“It seems to be that way,” the man laughed a little, wincing when he did.

 

“You’re Pinocchio?” Amy asked, feeling uneasy.

 

“Call me August,” he replied nodding. “I’ve been hearing we had tourists living here aside from me. Who exactly are you two? I don’t recall seeing you in Henry’s storybook.”

 

“We’re not in it,” Rory said. “We just know someone that’s in it. He’s called the Doctor.”

 

August stared at him, glanced at Amy, and back again. “You’re the friends he was searching for,” he smiled, understanding. “You know, I’ve traveled most of this world for three decades. I’ve heard many different interpretations of our stories, but I’ve never heard of any fairytales about a Doctor with a blue box.”

 

“That’s because,” Amy began, sitting at the foot of the bed, “the Doctor isn’t a fairytale. He’s an alien who travels through time and space.”

 

The room was quiet for a moment, mostly because the wooden puppet was doing his best to breathe. “I’d call you crazy,” he started saying, “but then my nose would grow two sizes. I heard of aliens in this world; saw a few actually. Planets in the sky, weird plunger-wielding robots attacking Earth, all of the humans turning into British prime minister clones… And I thought our world was strange.”

 

Rory looked up at his wife. “It seems we were right about still being in the same universe.”

 

“If you three aren’t from the fairytale world, how did you get into Storybrooke?” August looked at them skeptically.

 

“We’re not sure,” Amy shrugged. “We were just traveling in the TARDIS and somehow we crash landed here, separated by time.”

 

“Does Emma know who you really are?” he asked.

 

The Ponds shook their head. “If she doesn’t believe that she’s the Savior,” Rory commented, “what makes you think she’ll believe we’re time travelers?”

 

August jerked, letting out a painful groan. “Maybe,” he pushed the word out with as much oxygen as he could muster. “Maybe you’ll be able to get through to her,” he relaxed after a second. “I tried to show her, but she can’t even see that I’m slowly turning back into wood.”

 

“What can we do?” Amy asked, urgency creasing her tone.

 

“I’m not sure,” August closed his eyes. “I’ve done all I can, and Henry refuses to give up.”

 

Amy and Rory glanced at each other, mirroring the same determined looks.

 

“We need to find the Doctor,” Amy declared. “We need to find him now.”

 

 

((-Fairy Tale World-))

 

The Doctor released his hold on the iron bars, holding them up in the air. He slowly turned until he faced one of the palace guards. His ridiculous helmet clouded most of his features, but he could see a pair of dark, shadowy eyes and pale skin glaring at him.

 

“Hello,” the Doctor greeted as cheerfully as his nerves would let him. “Your Queen throws the loveliest of parties. Sadly, I have to leave early. I remembered that I… left the kettle on. If the house burns down while I’m gone, my wife will surely throw a fit-“

 

“Silence!” The guard commanded, shutting the Time Lord up. The Doctor glanced down to see the bright sword the guard held between them. “How did you escape your cell?”

 

“I wasn’t locked in a cell,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I told you I am a guest who’s leaving.”

 

“Through the dungeon?”

 

The Doctor did a double take at the window and smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t want to cause any attention.”

 

“Oh don’t worry about that,” the guard grinned evilly. “You’ll get all of the attention you deserve once the Queen has your head.”

 

Before the guard could do anything else, he jerked backwards and fell to the floor unconscious. Where his head use to be a rock was held by a slender, pale arm in midair. One of the prisoners in the cell had knocked him out.

 

The hand dropped the rock to the floor as the prisoner clutched the bars and a pair of bright blue eyes peeked through at him. “Run, now!” called the prisoner, who the Doctor knew by the voice was a woman.

 

“But-“the Doctor tried to say.

 

“The bars come apart if you wiggle it right,” she told him confidently. “Get out of here before the Queen finds you!”

 

The Doctor paused. This woman, whom he had never met, was helping him escape. But why? “What about you?” he asked.

 

She went silent, both staring at each other. She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. Just get out as fast as you can!”

 

The sound of loud footprints told the Doctor he had better move. He went back to the window, wiggling the bars just as she had told him to. They came apart easier than he assumed. He climbed out of the window and into the patch of grass. Once he was safely on the ground, he crouched down and looked through the window again.

 

He couldn’t see the blue eyes or pale skin anymore. Maybe she hid herself further in the cell from the guards. “I’ll come back for you,” he called, determined. “Once I have my TARDIS back, I’ll come back and help you escape.”

 

No reply came. He heard the footsteps get louder. He replaced the bars back on the window and ran.

 

He ran across an open field of nothing but grass. In the distance he could see a line of trees. If he made it through the forest, he would be free. 

 

He got closer and closer…

 

A puff of dark purple smoke appeared in front of him, causing him to stop running. The smoke disappeared and Rumpelstiltskin took its place. He had his arms folded across his chest. 

 

He inclined his head sideways, looking past where the Doctor stood. “What did I tell you about causing attention?”

 

The Doctor looked back to see a set of guards on horses heading their way. How many guards did this woman have?

 

“What’re we…”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, the Dark One grabbed him by the arm, and the duo disappeared in another puff of smoke.


	8. Poison

((-Storybrooke-))

Amy and Rory left August alone after much insisting on the puppet’s part. He argued that he would be fine and trusted the couple would be able to help Emma believe in the fairy tale world. They just hoped it wouldn’t be too late…

 

The Ponds were back on the streets again, searching for the apartment that Emma shared with Mary Margaret. It wasn’t hard to locate since they had been there before for Mary Margaret’s party. On the way, they had heard rumors that Emma was leaving; which quickened their stride.

 

“She can’t leave, can she?” Amy asked as they entered the building. “Aren’t bad things supposed to happen if anyone tries to leave Storybrooke?”

 

“She might be immune to that part of the curse,” Rory theorized. “She’s lived outside of Storybrooke for her whole life. If she can get in, she can most likely get out.”

 

“So all we need to do is convince her to stay,” it wasn’t a question.

 

“Which shouldn’t be hard if we mention Henry, right?” Rory ran a few steps ahead and stopped at Emma’s front door. Once Amy caught up with him, he raised a fist and knocked on the door.

 

Muffled footsteps were heard on the other side along with Emma’s voice. “Thank God you’re here! We have to-“

 

She went silent once she opened the door and saw the couple on the other side. “You aren’t the ambulance,” she stated, not bothering to hide her anger.

 

“Why would you need an-“

 

“Oh my god!” Amy interrupted Rory.

 

He looked over Emma’s shoulder to see Henry.

 

He was passed out on the floor, a turnover in his hand.

 

 

((-Fairy Tale World-))

 

 

The world had stopped spinning once the smoke had cleared. The Doctor and Rumpelstiltskin had teleported from the Evil Queen’s castle and found themselves in a darker part of the forest. The Doctor coughed and fanned his face having swallowed some of the smoke. This was the third time he had been teleported since arriving to this world; he was starting to get tired of it.

 

“I warned you to hold your breath while traveling,” the imp grinned mischievously, crossing his arms over his chest and taking baby steps away from the Doctor.

 

Once the Doctor stopped coughing, he looked at the forest around him. “How come we didn’t transport back to the castle?”

 

“Because it isn’t on our list of places to travel,” he called back and did a quick turn so he was facing the time lord. “From the looks on the guards faces, I’m assuming you’ve accomplished you’re task?”

 

The Doctor nodded, reaching into his jacket pocket and retrieving the black, satin bag. Rumpelstiltskin giggled in delight.

 

“Excellent work!” he declared, taking long strides towards him and snatching the bag from his hands. He reached into the bag and pulled out the shining red apple. “So this is where Regina put you,” he whispered to the fruit.

 

“Why did the Evil Queen steal an apple from you?” the Doctor asked. “She has a tree full of them. What’s so special about this one?”

 

“It’s not the apple itself,” he stated in his all-knowing tone of voice. “It’s what she put in the apple.”

 

The time lord, again, thought back to the Snow White fairytale. “A sleeping curse.”

 

“For a man who claims to not believe in magic,” he inquired, “You seem to be well-versed in it.”

 

“Let’s just say I’m use to strange and impossible things,” the time lord smirked.

 

The imp grinned back. “I’d never doubt it,” he dropped the apple back into the bag and began walking. “We must be on our way.”

 

The Doctor didn’t question him as he followed.

 

……………………

 

After a few minutes of walking, the two arrived at a small cottage in the middle of the woods. The Doctor noted, with delight, that the house was made out of gingerbread and candy; just like the Hansel and Gretel fairytale. They arrived at the front step and Rumpelstiltskin knocked on the door.

 

The Doctor took a closer look at the windows. The glass was surrounded by jelly babies. His growling stomach taking over his basic motor functions, he reached an arm up to pinch a red gummy from the window. Rumpelstiltskin put a scaled hand over his, pushing it away from the window.

 

“Unless you wish to be dinner, I suggest keeping your hands to yourself,” he hissed just before the door opened.

 

Both men looked to see a young woman with mussed, blonde hair put in an elaborate up-do. She wore a high-collared purple dress that reminded the Doctor of a watered-down version of the Evil Queen’s ball gown. She looked in Rumpelstiltskin’s direction, but her shockingly light blue eyes didn’t seem to focus.

 

It took him a second to realize she was blind.

 

“It’s lovely to see you again, Madame,” Rumpelstiltskin greeted, putting on his best gentleman act.

 

The blind witch waved a hand in front of her until it touched the imp’s cheek. She rubbed it feeling the rough texture. “Rumpelstiltskin,” she smiled. “How long has it been?”

 

“Too long, dearie,” he smiled, putting his hand over hers and gently pulling it away from his face. He didn’t let go of her. “I am in need of a favor from you.”

 

Her eyebrows quirked up. “What is it?” she asked curiously.

 

“I have something of the Evil Queen’s and I need your help guarding it for me,” he placed the bag in her hands. “It’s important that you keep this from her.”

 

Rumpelstiltskin let go of her hands as the blind witch felt the bag up. She paused once her hands had a good hold of the apple; still covered by the satin fabric. “Is this your curse?” she whispered, scared yet excited.

 

“Actually, this is the curse she traded mine for,” he didn’t hide his bitterness. “Maleficent currently has the curse I made, and I don’t see her using it anytime soon.”

 

The Doctor made a face at him.

 

“Oh I see,” the witch smiled evilly. “This is vengeance.”

 

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged even though she couldn’t see him. “I prefer ‘pay back’. It’s a lesser punishment than what I have planned for her in the future.”

 

She chuckled low in her throat. “The day that woman gets what’s coming to her will be a good day indeed.”

 

“I take it we have an agreement then.”

 

“Of course,” she smiled. “Care to stay for dinner?”

 

The Dark One made a face. “Sorry, dearie, but I have a schedule to keep. Another time perhaps?”

 

The witch frowned, but bid him farewell anyway, taking the satin bag with her. Once the door was closed, Rumpelstiltskin started walking away, the Doctor following.

 

“You told me the Queen stole from you,” he told the imp, clearly angry.

 

Rumpelstiltskin stopped walking. He turned to face him, replying, “In a way, she did. I gave her something in full confidence, and she trades it away for something of less value.”

 

“A curse,” the Doctor confirmed. “You gave her a curse.”

 

“Exactly,” he grinned. “I gave her the curse to end all curses; a guaranteed happy ending for her! Instead, she traded it for a simple sleeping curse.” The way he said ‘sleeping’ made the time lord think he was about to cough up a hair ball.

 

“And your curse? What exactly does that do?”

 

A dark look shrouded his face. “A curse that destroys all happy endings,” he whispered, getting very close to the Doctor. “Everything we know and love will be taken from us. Everyone will have a miserable life.”

 

The Doctor was silent, staring at the evil that clouded the imp’s brown eyes.

 

“Of course,” he pulled back, slipping the mischievous mask back on, “It isn’t even finished yet. I’m still missing the most important ingredient.”

 

“And what would that be?” the Doctor asked, keeping his voice level; his face stoic.

 

“True love,” he smiled, “the most powerful magic of all. I have yet to acquire it, of course. It’s not easy finding two people who are truly in love with each other.”

 

“You’d be surprised,” the time lord muttered under his breath. The only people he knew who were truly meant for each other were Amy and Rory. “So, true love is the only thing that can make your dark curse work?”

 

He pointed a long-nailed finger at him. “Exactly.” Then he swiftly turned and began walking.

 

“Wait, where are you going?” the Doctor called, following him.

 

“We,” Rumpelstiltskin corrected, “are going to find your carriage and friends. You held your end of the deal, now it’s my turn.” He giggled his creepy giggle.

 

The Doctor sighed in relief. The sooner he could get away from this madness, the better.

 

((-Storybrooke-))

 

 

The ambulance arrived five minutes after Amy and Rory showed up. They carried Henry on a stretcher in the truck while Emma and the Ponds followed in her yellow bug. While the EMTs checked his vitals, Emma shoved the apple turnover in a Ziploc bag and brought it with her.

 

Once they arrived at the hospital, Emma ran alongside the various doctors and nurses carrying him through the hallways. Amy and Rory followed a few feet behind so they wouldn’t be in the way. 

 

“Henry! Henry can you hear me?!” Emma jerked Henry’s shoulder, but the boy didn’t respond. One of the nurses tried to make her leave, but she refused, pushing her aside.

 

Dr. Whale slipped the boy’s eyelids open and shined a flashlight back and forth. “There’s no pupil response,” he confirmed, looking up at Emma. “What happened? Did he fall and hit his head?”

 

Emma pulled the dessert out of her pocket. “He ate this. I think it’s poisoned.”

 

Amy exchanged a look with Rory, both worried. While they were in the bug, the couple debated whether or not the apple in the apple turnover was poisoned fruit she used on Snow White. They didn’t think the Evil Queen still had any left after all of these years.

 

Dr. Whale pulled Henry’s mouth open, using the flashlight to see the back of his throat. “His airway is clear. Did he vomit? Was he convulsing?”

 

“He took a bite of this and then he just collapsed!” Emma shot back, waving the turnover in Whale’s face. “So run the tests for arsenic, or bleach, or Dranol, or whatever could have done this to him!” 

 

“The boy is showing no symptoms that would suggest neurotoxins,” Dr. Whale insisted. He was just as confused as she was. “So whatever’s going on,” he snatched the bag out of her hands, “this is not the culprit.”

 

“Then what else could it be?” she asked, her eyes widening; the strain and worry in her voice was evident.

 

He shook his head, dropping his voice to a whisper. “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

 

“He’s gonna be okay though, right?” Amy asked, standing by the entrance with her husband. 

 

Emma squeezed Henry’s arm gingerly, looking at his face as if wanting to tell him that he was going to be fine.

 

“Right now, we just need to stabilize him. He’s slipping away,” he told them while writing stuff down in Henry’s medical file. “Is there anything else you can remember?”

 

“I already told you everything, do something!” Emma shot back at him, stomping over to a nearby table. Amy and Rory ran to her side as if to comfort her. Emma began emptying out Henry’s backpack, desperate to find anything that would help her even though she couldn’t find the answers there.

 

“I understand you’re frustrated, Miss Swan, I do,” Dr. Whale tried to ease her pain, but wasn’t any help. “but I need something to treat. Right now, there is no explanation. It’s like…” he trailed off, not sure of what else to say and went back to his work.

 

“It’s okay, Emma, Henry’s going to be fine,” Rory assured, but Emma ignored him. Her attention was on something else: Henry’s storybook.

 

“Like magic,” she whispered.

 

“What was that?” Amy asked.

 

Emma picked the book up and froze.

 

“Emma?” Amy shook her shoulder. The sheriff was clutching the book for dear life, staring off into the distance.

 

“Emma, are you there?” Rory waved a hand in her face.

 

“Rory, what’s going on?” the red head asked worried.

 

He was quiet a moment. “I think the storybook’s doing something…”

 

Before Amy could respond, the glass door to the room swung open and shut, the sound of it breaking Emma out of her trance.

 

“Where’s my son?” came the concerned voice of Regina Mills.

 

Suddenly, Emma’s eyes went dark; an unquestionable rage building up inside of her. “You did this!” she hissed, dropping the storybook back onto the table.

 

Before Amy or Rory could stop her, the Savior stomp out of the room, dragging the confused Evil Queen with her. Helplessly, the Ponds followed.

 

Emma stopped by a supply closet, wrenched the door open, and pushed Regina inside. She ran right into a shelf full of medical supplies.

 

“You did this!” Emma repeated, this time shouting it at her.

 

“What the hell are you doing?!” the mayor screamed as the sheriff grabbed her again and slammed her into the lockers. She held her there in a choke hold.

 

“Emma, stop!” Amy and Rory shouted as the two ran into the room. Rory pulled Emma away, holding her back by the waist while Amy stood on either side of them, holding her hands up in case Regina decided to take a swing at Emma.

 

“Rory, let me go!” Emma tried to squirm out of Rory’s grasp, but he was too strong.

 

“What’re you doing?!” Regina glared. “My son-“

 

“Is sick because of you!!” Emma shouted. “That apple turnover you gave me, he ate it!!”

 

Shock flooded Regina’s face. “What? It was meant for you-“

 

“It’s true, isn’t it,” Emma sneered.

 

Regina gave her a confused look. “What’re you talking about?”

 

“It’s true, isn’t it?!” she screamed. 

 

Regina still stared at her.

 

“Tell her the truth,” Amy gave her a nasty look and added, “your majesty.”

 

Her eyes widened, glancing at Amy. Emma did the same thing. Rory wisely stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

 

After a long moment, Regina let out a desperate sob and replied, “Yes.”

 

Emma’s stomach twisted. She wanted to ask more; she wanted to ask Amy and Rory a few questions, too. But all that mattered now was Henry. “I was leaving town. Why couldn’t you just leave things alone?”

 

“Because as long as you’re alive, Henry will never be mine,” Regina tried to keep her voice level.

 

Emma glared. “He can never be anyone’s unless you fix this. Wake him up!”

 

“I can’t!”

 

“Don’t you have magic?” Emma asked desperately. 

 

Regina shook her head, anguished. “That was the last of it. It was supposed to put you to sleep!” She shot at her.

 

“What’s it gonna do to him?” she asked as Rory let go of her.

 

 

“I don’t know,” Regina said her voice scary calm. “Magic here is unpredictable. There’s a chance he could…” she stopped herself, not wanting to finish the sentence.

 

Emma was silent. Amy and Rory looked at each other equally worried.

 

“If the Doctor was here, he’d know what to do,” Amy admitted.

 

Regina looked up at her. “Who are you?” she finally managed to ask, glaring. “I’ve never seen you two before. How did you end up in Storybrooke?”

 

“We’re friends of the Doctor,” Rory answered bitterly. “The one who gave your apple to the blind witch.”

 

“You’re the friends he was searching for?” The Evil Queen asked appalled.

 

“Can we please discuss this later?” Emma stopped them, trying to keep everyone on subject. “What are we gonna do about Henry.”

 

“We need help,” Regina answered, simple as that. “There’s only one other person in this town that knows about the curse… About magic.”

 

“Mr. Gold,” Emma confirmed.

 

“The pawnbroker everyone’s afraid of?” Rory asked.

 

Regina looked at the trio. “Actually, he goes by Rumpelstiltskin.”

 

Emma and the Ponds wore the same shocked expressions.

 

“I knew it,” Amy leered and stomped out of the supply closet.

 

“Amy, wait!” Rory called, following his wife.

 

“I’m gonna kill him,” she spouted off, not caring who heard. “For what he did to the Doctor, he’s dead!”

 

 

((-Fairy Tale World-))

 

 

For hours, the Doctor and Rumpelstiltskin roamed the vast forest searching for the TARDIS. The Doctor had his sonic screwdriver out, using it as a type of metal detector that would point them in the right direction. The bleeping noise got on Rumpelstiltskin’s nerves. He had to repeatedly tell him to “shut his magic wand up”. 

 

“It’s a sonic screwdriver!” the time lord would argue repeatedly. “There’s nothing magic about it.”

 

“Magic or not, I will set it on fire if you don’t cut it out!” the imp snapped back.

 

Personally, the Doctor would’ve preferred it if Rumpelstiltskin just gave him a map and left.

 

After a while, Rumpelstiltskin was about to show off his skills in fire magic when the screwdriver started bleeping faster. The Doctor darted past him and let the bleeping lead the way. He stopped at a patch of jangled vines when the bleeping stopped completely. 

 

Gingerly, he pulled the vines aside to reveal his beautiful blue box.

 

“Ha ha!” the Doctor cheered pumping his fist in the air and spinning around in a circle. He ran over to his TARDIS, hugging and stroking the wood frame like he usually did. “Oh, Sexy, I’ve missed you so much!” Aside from a few scorch marks, the time machine didn’t look worse for wear. It managed to shut and lock its doors just before crashing. 

 

Rumpelstiltskin stood farther away, watching the reunion with amusement. “So much love for an over-sized box. I’d hate to see the ugly tears when we find your friends,” He laughed.

 

“Oh, it’s more than just an over-sized box,” the Doctor grinned, running over and giving him a hug, startling them both. The Doctor pulled away just as quickly and ran back to his TARDIS while Rumpelstiltskin straightened his leather vest.

 

“Tell me exactly how you and your comrades are able to fit into such tiny corners,” the imp circled the blue box, scrutinizing its peculiar size.

 

The Doctor smiled; it was his turn to wear the all-knowing look now. He took his key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. “Rumpelstiltskin, prepare to be amazed!” 

 

He swung the doors open.

 

The Dark One was, indeed, amazed. The tiny compartment held one giant room with unidentifiable gadgets and gizmos. It was the most bizarre yet amazing thing he’d ever seen. He took a couple of step backwards, circling the TARDIS once more to make sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. “What type of sorcery is this?” he asked the Doctor, the teasing tone from his voice gone.

 

“No sorcery,” the Doctor assured, a little put off that he wasn’t using the ‘bigger on the inside’ term. “Call it ‘space-age technology.’”

 

“As you would say, Doctor, this is absolutely brilliant,” the imp agreed. “I was worried about the space, but I seem to have enough room to stretch my legs.”

 

“Yes you- wait,” he stopped himself. “What do you mean by that?”

 

“I’m going with you,” Rumpelstiltskin replied, using his hands to emphasize words again. “Of course, there’s the matter of your friends. Once we find them, the four of us will be off!”

 

He made a move to walk inside, but the Doctor grabbed the back of his collar, pulled him backwards, and shut the TARDIS doors. “You want to come with us?” he asked, dismayed.

 

“But of course,” he said as if it were obvious. 

 

“But… You’re a fairytale character,” he pointed out. “Why would you want to leave this world?”

 

Rumpelstiltskin’s face contorted in thought. “Let’s just say this world doesn’t have everything I want.”

 

“I told you before, my world doesn’t have magic,” he said sternly. “If I take you there, you won’t have the power you so crave.”

 

“Don’t you think I’m aware of that?” the imp told him, darkness clouding his eyes again. “There is something precious I need to find in that vast world of yours. You are my only way of getting there since my fail safe was traded away.”

 

It didn’t take long for the Doctor to figure out what his “fail safe” was. “The curse,” he said quietly. “The curse to end all curses and take away happy endings.”

 

“I’ve never been to this world of yours, Doctor,” sneered the imp, “but I can sense it; I can see from the look in your eyes that it isn’t a happy place.”

 

The Doctor mentally cringed. He was talking about sending all of the fairytale characters to Earth. They wouldn’t know what to make of all the strange technology that wasn’t powered by magic; the humans wouldn’t know what to make of them either. “Magic,” he repeated. “Do you plan on sending magic to this world of yours?”

 

The Dark One smiled evilly. “How else am I supposed to find what I’m looking for?”

 

In one swift motion, the Doctor locked the TARDIS with a press of a button, shoved the key into his infinite pocket, and walked away.

 

Rumpelstiltskin stared at him confused. “What are you doing?”

 

“You are not coming with me,” he told him, walking still.

 

He followed the time lord, running to keep up with his fast walking. “What do you mean you’re not taking me?”

 

“Exactly what I said,” the Doctor stopped to face him. “I’m not taking you or any of your other freaky-deaky fairytale friends with me!”

 

“We had a deal,” the imp reminded him with a glare.

 

“Which is settled,” he retorted. “I stole something from the Evil Queen for you, and you helped me find my ship. We’re done.”

 

“What about your friends?”

 

“The TARDIS can find them without your help.”

 

“I saved your life!” Rumpelstiltskin shouted. “I saved your life from that damn siren and from the Evil Queen’s guards! You owe me!”

 

The Doctor held his ground, keeping his voice low. “I never asked you to save my life. You did that of your own accord No deal.”

 

The sound of horses brought both men back to reality. They looked in the distance to see moving torchlight.

 

“The Queen’s guards,” Rumpelstiltskin spat disgusted.

 

“How did they find us?”

 

That was when the Dark One got an idea.

 

He ran in the direction of the TARDIS. The Doctor looked back a second late and followed a couple of steps behind. Once Rumpelstiltskin reached the blue box, he snapped his fingers and commanded the vines to fall on top of the Doctor just as he ran under them; tangling around him and holding him still on the spot.

 

“What are you doing?!” the Doctor called, jerking the vines wrapping around his left arm.

 

“Taking my newly found treasure and leaving you at the mercy of the Queen,” the imp smiled slasher-style, patting the side of the TARDIS.

 

“You can’t do that!” he shouted.

 

“I can do whatever I want, dearie. This is my world,” he held a hand to his chest.

 

The Doctor bit down on a vine that threatened to cover his mouth. “You won’t be able to use it. It’s locked and I have the key! And even if you are able to get in, you won’t be able to drive it!”

 

Rumpelstiltskin laughed his trademark laugh. “I didn’t say I was going to use it! It shall sit in my dining room; maybe use it as a wardrobe,” he absently stroked the side of it with less affection than the Doctor showed for it. “As was just discussed, your TARDIS isn’t the only thing that can get me to your world. I still have my curse.”

 

“But-“

 

“Once the Evil Queen realizes her sleeping apple won’t work, she’ll steal it back from Maleficent,” he interrupted as if reading his thoughts.

 

“But you’re still missing that one ingredient,” the Doctor reminded. “True love. You said so yourself that it was impossible to find!”

 

“No, dearie, I said it wasn’t ‘easy,’” he corrected.

 

“But our deal-“

 

“As you put it, we’re done,” he mocked.

 

The Doctor struggled harder. The vines seemed to tighten with every pull and tear. He tried moving his feet, but the vines pulled him back further. He let out a groan at the pressure they were squeezing on his stomach.

 

“All magic comes with a price, Doctor,” Rumpelstiltskin reminded, his voice slipping into his dark facade.

 

The sounds of the guards and horses were getting closer and closer.

 

“And you’re about to pay it,” he finished, dark purple smoke surrounding him and the blue box.

 

“NOOOOO!!!!” the Doctor screamed. The vines around him loosened and he sagged to the ground on his knees.

 

But it was too late.

 

He sat there waiting for the guards to arrest him. All the while, he stared hopelessly at the spot where Rumpelstiltskin and his TARDIS had disappeared.


	9. The Elusive Mr. Gold

((-Storybrooke-))

Regina’s plan was going to backfire. That was what Mr. Gold was certain of.

He had warned her about how different the magic would be in this world, and that keeping the curse from being broken was inadvisable. Of course, the stubborn queen wouldn’t listen. She had used the Hatter to help acquire the same poisoned apple Snow White had taken a bite of.

Even though he didn’t have any magic left inside of him, he could still sense it; felt it in the air. He had felt it when Emma broke his memory curse and Graham’s; hell, he felt it whenever the sheriff was within a five mile radius of him. One could be sure that when Regina pulled the apple out of the hat, he sensed it before she even thought about baking that turnover.

The same goes for when Henry ate the apple.

He had been preparing for this moment for twenty-eight years. He had gathered all of the necessary supplies that the Savior would need to get back what he wanted most, and placed it on his counter. The leather case that sat before him was coated with layers of dust thanks to being buried under piles of other treasures he had acquired over the years from unsuspecting royals and villagers alike.

He was dusting off the case when the bell over his door rang.

“I thought I’d see you here soon enough,” he commented without looking up.

CRASH!

His head jolted up. Instead of a worried blonde, he saw an angry redhead standing over a broken sail boat. If looks could kill, the pawnbroker would’ve dropped dead where he stood. He didn’t have time to deal with unsatisfied customers, not when there was a curse to break. Instead, he tried to stay as calm as his temper would let him. “You realize you’ll have to pay for that,” he told her nonchalantly.

“Yeah, well you’re gonna pay for a lot worse,” she sneered, her Scottish brogue coating every word like honey.

Mr. Gold straightened up. “What is that suppose to mean?”

“Oh, I think you know what it means,” She snarled and added, “Rumpelstiltskin.”

He didn’t let his surprise show on his face. The only people who knew who he was were Regina and Jefferson. Had this woman’s curse broken without him knowing it?

“I don’t believe name calling is going to get you out of paying for a broken sailboat, dearie,” he quipped, laying his Storybrooke disguise on thick.

She glared daggers, stomping over to the counter and grabbing him roughly by his suit jacket. “Where is he?!” she shouted in his face.

His limbs started shaking under her grasp, feeling again like the helpless, cowardly spinner he used to be. “I don’t know what-“

“Stop playing games!” she interrupted. “I know about the curse and everyone’s true identity! I know you stole the Doctor’s TARDIS and left him in the hands of the Evil Queen! If you don’t tell me where he is, the next thing that’s going to get broken is you neck!”

Before the pawnbroker could react, he felt himself getting pulled forward before her fists released him. He looked up and saw a man with brown hair pulling her back; she jerked under her grasp. “Amy, you need to calm down.”

“I’ve been calm for over a week!” She turned to face the man. “You and I have been searching this town the whole time hoping that we would find him! We finally have a lead, and you’re asking me to be calm?!” Even though he couldn’t see her face, he could hear the tears in her voice.

“Yes,” the man soothed her, “Just for a moment longer.”

Mr. Gold used that moment to compose himself. He thought over what the woman was yelling at him, his memory coming back to him. “So, I take it you two are Rory Williams and Amy Pond,” he greeted.

The couple faced him. “You know us?” Rory asked.

“But of course,” he replied. “The town is a buzz about its new visitors,” he paused, letting his fairytale character takeover. “And you fit the Doctor’s descriptions he used of you.”

Amy took a deep breath, wiping away the tears from her eyes. “Where’s the Doctor and his TARDIS?” she asked again, calmer.

Mr. Gold shook his head. “The TARDIS’ whereabouts are unknown at this point,” his gaze turned from them to the window by the front door where he saw two obvious female figures walking by. “As for your friend, I suggest you ask Madame Mayor herself.”

On cue, the bell above the door rang and everyone looked to see Emma and Regina walking through the door.

“Do my eyes deceive me, or is that the look of a believer?” Mr. Gold asked, regaining his Dark One confidence.

“We need your help,” Emma told him, pressing her hands on the glass counter.

“Indeed you do,” he agreed. “It seems quite the tragic ailment has befallen our young friend.” He turned his head at Regina. “I told you magic comes with a price.”

“Henry shouldn’t have to pay it.”

“No, you should,” he gave her a pointed look. Lord knows he would’ve loved to see the Evil Queen getting her just desserts. “But alas, we are where we are.”

“Can you help us?” Emma asked, reminding them both that they were pressed for time.

“Of course,” Mr. Gold nodded. “True love, Miss Swan, is the only magic powerful enough to transcend realms and break any curse, including the sleeping curse Henry is under. Luckily for you, I happen to have bottled some.”

Amy and Rory exchanged a shocked look. Regina’s eyes widened. “You did?” she asked in a mixture of hope and anger.

“Oh yes.”

“You bottled true love?” Amy asked bewildered. “Like a potion?”

Mr. Gold arched his eyebrow at her. “Isn’t that what I just said?”

“How is that even possible?” Rory questioned.

“From strands of your parents’ hair,” he replied, turning to Emma as if it was her asking him. “I made the most powerful potion in the entire realm; so powerful that when I created the dark curse, I placed a single drop,” he squished his fingers to emphasize his point, “on the parchment just to make sure the curse would work.”

Realization dawned on the young blonde. “That’s why I’m the savior. That’s why I can break the curse.”

Mr. Gold smirked. “Now you’re getting it.”

Emma shook her head. This was too much for her to take in at once. “I don’t care about breaking the curse. All I care about is saving Henry.”

“Which is why it’s your lucky day,” he told the savior. “I didn’t use all of it. I saved some for a rainy day.”

Emma looked him in the eye. “Well it’s storming like a bitch. Where is it?”

Amy bit back a laugh.

“Where it is isn’t the problem,” the pawnbroker warned all too knowingly. “Getting it is what should worry you.”

Regina rolled her eyes, annoyed. “Enough riddles. What do we do?”

“You do nothing,” he shot at the Evil Queen. “It has to be Miss Swan.”

“He’s my son. It should be me.”

“All due respect, but it’s her son,” he reminded her, taking too much joy her disappointment. “She is the product of the magic, and it has to be her.”

“Where is it?” Emma asked.

Mr. Gold continued to speak as if he didn’t hear her. “Tell me, Regina, is our friend still in the basement?”

Regina glared, figuring out exactly who he meant. “You twisted, little imp. You hid it with her?!”

“Not with her, in her,” he corrected.

It was Emma’s turn to feel annoyed. “What are you two talking about? Who is she?”

“She, Miss Swan,” he said, unlocking the case on his counter, “is someone you and Mr. Williams should be prepared for.”

Everyone glanced over at Rory when the pawnbroker mentioned his name. “W- wait,” Rory stuttered. “Me and her?” he pointed at Emma.

Mr. Gold asked, “You’re friends with the Doctor, are you not?” When Rory nodded, he grinned. “Well then, you’ll be able to give Emma a few pointers,” he then opened the lid of the case for all to see. “I believe this is for you,” he told Emma.

Emma glanced down to see a silver sword lying on the red velvet interior of the case. “What is that?” she asked, not knowing what else to say.

Mr. Gold smiled. “This is your father’s sword.”

Emma’s jaw dropped. It took her a moment to remember he was talking about David Nolan- no. He was talking about Prince Charming. He was her dad, and Snow White her mother. “This is too weird,” Emma whispered to herself.

“Mr. Williams,” Mr. Gold looked over at Rory, “if you would direct your attention behind that counter over there,” he lifted his cane to point at the counter to his left, “you’ll find something I assume you’re very familiar with.”

Wordlessly, Rory walked behind the counter that held various knick-knacks and expensive looking stuff. He ignored the creepy puppets and bent over a big, wooden box. He glanced at Mr. Gold, who gestured for him to open it. He lifted the lid and stilled his breathing.

“Rory, what is it?” Amy asked noting his reaction.

Rory stood up, bringing a red cape with him. “My Roman outfit.”

…

Within minutes, Amy, Rory, Emma, and Regina were back at the hospital. Things had considerably calmed down. Henry was considered comatose by the rest of the staff and was left alone until anything changed.

Amy sat on a couch outside of his room waiting for Rory to put on his Roman outfit. She found it peculiar that Mr. Gold had it. The last they remembered, they left it in the TARDIS sometime after Demon’s Run. This brought up many concerns. If Rumpelstiltskin was able to get inside the TARDIS and steal something of Rory’s, what else of theirs’ did he have stashed away in his pawn shop? Where was the TARDIS now?

“So your husband’s a roman?” Emma asked, bringing Amy out of her revere.

She looked up at her. “Sort of. It’s a long story.”

The blonde took the seat next to her, Prince Charming’s sword in her lap. Regina was in Henry’s room talking to the comatose patient. “You know,” Emma began, “After all that’s happened this evening, I think it’s time you told me who exactly you and Rory are.” She gave Amy a serious look.

The redhead turned her gaze to the floor, taking a deep breath. “Rory and I aren’t from the storybook, neither is the Doctor.”

Emma shrugged. “I figured as much. I’m not a fairytale expert, but I can tell you I’ve never heard of a fairytale character called the Doctor… Dr. Seuss maybe.”

Amy laughed. “He’s not a fairytale character,” she flashed a knowing look. “He’s so much better than that.”

“Who is he?”

Amy shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Are you serious?” Emma responded. “I’m the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming,” she paused, squeezing the hilt of the sword. She never thought she’d say that with a serious face. “So far, there’s nothing I haven’t heard.”

Amy bit her lip and responded, “The Doctor is an alien who travels through time and space.”

The sheriff gave her a blank look. “You win.”

Mrs. Pond raised a fist in mock victory. “I told you.”

Emma shook her head. “So, you and Rory…”

“Oh no,” Amy waved it off, “we’re human. Always have been. I met the Doctor when I was around Henry’s age. He dropped his spaceship in my backyard,” she smiled at the memory of his head popping out of the TARDIS, raiding her fridge for something to eat. “He left for a few years after that. Psychiatrists told me I was crazy, calling him my ‘imaginary friend’. He showed up out of the blue after 12 years, took me and Rory across the universe before our wedding day.”

“How did he end up in Henry’s storybook?” Emma asked when she sensed Amy was done.

“Well,” she thought it over. “While we were traveling, we ran into some sort of a… block. The TARDIS started crashing, Rory and I fell out and landed in Storybrooke, and somehow…” Amy paused and turned to Emma. “Henry said the storybook depicted things that happened in the past, back in the fairytale world. If that’s true, then the Doctor must’ve traveled further in time while he was crashing; ending up in the past.”

Emma stayed silent, trying to connect the dots in Amy’s story. “And,” she said after a moment, “You think the Doctor’s still in the past?”

Amy nodded. “In the fairytale, Rumpelstiltskin stole his TARDIS. If he doesn’t have it, then he’s stuck. Which, in turn, means that he was still there when the curse was enacted.”

“So he’s somewhere in Storybrooke without his memories?”

Amy nodded, not wanting to think about the Doctor not being able to remember her or Rory.

“I’m ready when you are,” Rory spoke up, causing both women to turn their heads at him. He wore the Roman outfit with his sword sheathed in his belt.

Emma took a quick glance over at the glass wall. She could see Regina standing over Henry talking to someone wearing all black. She couldn’t see his face because of the odd lighting. “She told us where to meet,” Emma responded standing up. She looked up and down at Rory’s outfit. “Let’s head out before someone mistakes us for traveling theatre troupe.”

Emma walked ahead with her sword in hand. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Rory asked, kneeling down to Amy’s level.

“I’ll be fine,” Amy smiled. “I can keep watch over Henry. I’ll call if something happens”

Rory squeezed Amy’s hand and gave her knuckles a small kiss. “I’ll be back soon”

“I know you will,” Amy nodded, giving her husband a similar kiss on the lips.

Rory let go of her hands and followed the path Emma took out of the hospital. Amy sank further into the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. They were in for a long night.

((-Fairy Tale Land-))

The Doctor was being dragged across the familiar hallways of the Evil Queen’s castle. He was flanked by two of her guards. The one on his left was the same one he encountered when he escaped through the dungeon the first time. With every other step, he took to poking the time lord with the butt of his sword.

The guard on his right refused to wear the ridiculous helmets that the other guards wore, and the Doctor could see his shaggy brown hair, matching eyes and beard. He had heard him speak earlier when they captured him; his accent sounded Irish. The Doctor favored him over the other guard mostly because he ignored him and wasn’t poking him with anything.

They were taken past a set of iron, double doors and into the throne room. The Evil Queen sat in a red velvet throne. Her hair was put up in an elaborate up-do circled by a black-pearled crown. She wore a long sleeved, ruffled black dress with a tall red collar. Her necklace drew the eyes toward her cleavage. Of course, the Doctor was more distracted by the dark look in her black eyes.

“So this is the man who was found escaping the dungeon?” her Majesty asked once the three of them were at the foot of her throne.

“Yes, your Highness,” responded the dungeon guard. “I caught him at the window calling for Rumpelstiltskin.”

“Just before that wretched girl caught you off guard and knocked you out,” the Queen nastily retorted.

The guard looked downcast and replied with a small “Yes.”

Keeping her face blank, the Queen drew herself to stand. She took slow steps towards the Doctor, her black skirts dragging behind her. The brown haired guard pushed the Doctor down into a kneeling position. He wasn’t rough about it, the time lord noted.

The Queen stopped and looked down at him. “So, you were calling for Rumpelstiltskin?”

The Doctor didn’t answer. He only stared at her.

She continued. “The Dark One and I have had ‘problems’ as of late. Something of mine went missing earlier this evening, and I have theorized that he was behind it.” She bent down to look the Doctor in the eye. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

At this point, the Doctor had lost the will to care. He was angry. He was angry with himself for not being able to save Amy and Rory when they crashed, angry for ever trusting one of the sneakiest fairytale characters in history, and angry for having his TARDIS foolishly stolen from him. For all he knew, his friends were lying dead somewhere in the Enchanted Forest, and it was all his fault.

“Yes, I would,” he replied bitterly.

In response, the Queen grabbed a hold of his throat with one hand. The Doctor jerked, trying to force oxygen through his crushing wind pipe. She was scary calm about it, but a glare still plastered her face. “Tell me everything you know!” she bellowed.

“It’s hard,” he choked out, “when you’re… cutting off… circulation… to brain.”

Wordlessly, the Queen let him go, causing the Doctor to fall to the ground sucking air into his lungs.

Once he was composed enough, he brought himself to stand on shaky limbs. “He made a deal with me…”

“Of course he did,” she interrupted irately. “He’s Rumpelstiltskin. He makes deals with everybody.”

“He said he was angry at you for trading his curse for one that’ll put Snow White to sleep,” he continued, ignoring the Queen’s shocked look of him knowing about the curses. “I lost my friends, and he told me he’d help me find them if I stole the apple you put the curse in.”

The Queen looked at him thoughtfully. “I see… And where is my apple now? With him?” She spat out ‘him’ as if she just swallowed arsenic.

“He gave it to a blind woman who lived in a gingerbread house.”

A dark look of recognition struck her features. “Of course he did,” she muttered. “Was it worth it? Did he find your so called friends?”

The Doctor frowned. “He left me behind, claiming I didn’t keep the whole deal.” He didn’t bother telling her about his TARDIS. He didn’t want to make any more deals with witches and others involved with dark magic.

The Queen nodded in understanding. “I could’ve told you he’d do that.”

“I told you everything I know,” he said, anger rising his voice. “Will you please release me?”

She cocked her head to the side, as if in thought. Out of nowhere, the Evil Queen delivered a hard slap to the Doctor’s face. The cracking sound made even the ruthless guards flinch.

The time lord looked at her astonished, a line of scratch marks on his cheeks from her nails.

“Lock him in the dungeon,” she told the two guards.

((-Storybrooke-))

Emma and Rory were a few feet away from the clock tower when they saw Regina standing in front of the entrance waiting for them. They had made a pit stop to August’s place at Granny’s. They were too late. He had turned back into a puppet not long after they arrived. Rory had assured the young woman that they would find a way to bring him back. Maybe if there was any potion left after they used it to help Henry, they’d be able to use the rest on August.

Once they were at the entrance, Regina pulled out a brass key and unlocked the door. She led the duo into a small foyer with a dusty desk/chair set and a wall mural.

“What is this place?” Rory asked.

Regina looked at him impatiently. “Would you like a tour.” She asked rhetorically.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Just get on with it.”

Wordlessly, Regina walked over to the mural and pulled down the fire alarm next to it. With a loud creak, the painted wall rolled up into the ceiling.

“Whoa,” both Emma and Rory replied.

Behind where the mural used to be was an old elevator. “You two will have a few minutes down there to get what you need and come back,” Regina instructed.

“You’re not coming with us?” Rory asked.

“It’s a two person job,” she informed them. “I have to stay up here and operate the lift.”

Emma gave her a disbelieving look. “How do we know you can be trusted?”

“Frankly, Miss Swan, you don’t have much of a choice.”

“What’s down there?”

Regina paused. “Someone I use to know back home. Her curse was different then everyone else’s.”

“How different?” Rory pressed on.

“You two haven’t got much time,” Regina ushered them into the elevator.

Before Emma entered, she gave Regina a glare and warned her, “If Henry doesn’t survive this, I’m coming after you.”

…

It didn’t take long for Regina to leave after Emma and Rory left the hospital. Amy had watched her go with disdain, remembering what Mr. Gold said about asking her where the Doctor was.

'Why couldn’t he just tell me?' Amy thought to herself. Then she wondered whether or not Rumpelstiltskin knew what became of the Evil Queen’s prisoners after the curse was casted.

She doubted the Evil Queen would tell her anything. Maybe she would after Henry woke up; possibly out of gratitude.

“You know waiting around isn’t going to help anything,” said a voice, making her jump.

Amy looked to see a man with brown hair styled in a faux-hawk. He wore a black, tailored suit with a dark purple scarf tied around his neck. He looked at Amy with piercing grey eyes.

“Who are you?” the redhead asked defensively.

“The name’s Jefferson,” he told her.

She looked him up and down, not sure why he was bothering with her. “What do you want?”

He knelt down so he was at eye level with her. “You’re looking for someone, aren’t you?”

Amy nodded hesitantly.

He gave her a small smile. “I know where you can find him.”


	10. Dungeons & Dragons

((-Storybrooke-))

The elevator stopped with a loud clang. Emma pushed the door open as she and Rory stepped out. They weren’t sure how far underground they were, but there was a bit of a draft nonetheless.

The space before them was more like a cavern. There were hues of blue and grey spouting off of random sections of rock. It had the feel of a fairytale land that the city above didn’t have. Rory held his sword up ready if any threat were to come at him any moment. Emma’s sword hung limply at her side. Maybe whatever was down here could be reasoned with.

“Hello?” he called out, the only response was his echo.

“I don’t think she’s going to respond to us,” Emma whispered at her side.

“You kidding?” Rory bit back. “Twenty-eight years living under the city, I’d be dying for someone to talk to.” 'Of course, I was begging for someone to talk to four days into my two thousand years guarding Amy,' he thought to himself.

Something caught Emma’s eye. She took slow steps towards a glass tube that stood just a few feet away. She scrutinized the see-through glass with black vines stretched across the surface. She ran a hand over the vines and a sudden image flashed before her eyes…

_…The dwarves lifted the lid of the coffin to reveal Snow White. Even in death, Charming thought, she was still the fairest of them all. He knelt down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. In a flash, he could feel her cold lips turn warm. Surprised, he pulled away from her just as her eyes snapped open; filling her lungs with air as if just emerging from a lake…_

… Emma pulled herself away from the coffin, backing up into a wall. She looked over at Rory, who watched her with concern. He stood by the coffin, mimicking her touch across the vines, but not eliciting the same reaction.

“So this was where she was laid to rest,” Rory commented, his back on her, “just before your dad kissed her-“

“He’s not my dad!” Emma shouted at him, her emotions she had been holding back over the past hour beginning to bubble to the surface.

Rory turned to face her. He was about to respond until something caught his eye. A couple of feet above Emma’s head, a giant, green eyeball swerved around in a circle. He stood still, hoping that it wouldn’t see him or Emma if they didn’t move.

Sadly, they weren’t granted with that bit of luck.

Emma let her hand rub against what she thought was a rock wall. She was shocked to feel warm leather under her fingertips. Just as she ran forward, the ground underneath began to shake.

Emma backed into Rory and they both stood in shock as they watched a giant dragon raise its head to the sky and spit out a string of fire.

…

Meanwhile…

'can’t believe I am agreeing to this,' Amy bit her lip, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror.

She admitted that it wasn’t the first time she had dressed up as a nurse. She had a variety of costumes from her days working as a kissing gram. Rory had a fondness for her police uniform.

She examined her appearance. The nurses’ outfits were very old fashion. She was currently wearing a tight white dress with short sleeves. A Red Cross patch adorned the left breast pocket, and the length on the skirt was raised two inches above the knee. Sadly, she had to replace her black boots in favor of plain, white flats.

“Only for you, Raggedy Man,” she told her reflection, and then added with a shrug, “And Rory if it’s our Anniversary.”

There was a knock at the door. “Are you ready yet?” came Jefferson’s question, muffled by the closed door between them.

Taking a deep breath, Amy strapped on her nurses’ cap and walked out the door.

…

'If I make it out of this alive, Regina and Gold are so dead,' were the only thoughts of an irate Emma Sawn as she stared at the humongous dragon before her.

Rory stood only a few feet away from her, his sword extended. He was visibly nervous, she noticed, but he didn’t seem as surprised as she was. It was as if he was use to running into giant dragons’ every day. Then again, Amy did say they were friends with an alien.

She glanced at her own sword. There was no way they could defeat this thing with just their two weapons. She got an idea.

“Screw this!” she threw her sword aside, catching Rory off guard. She grabbed her gun from her holster and began shooting at the dragon.

To her chagrin, the bullets didn’t hit any vital points. Actually, they made the dragon angry.

“Run!” Rory shouted, running towards Emma as the beast’s tail slammed the spot the Centurion once stood.

He grabbed Emma’s hand and both of them ran, dodging shots of flame. They did this for a while. Hiding behind pillars of rock and running when the dragon would find them. Rory was about to collapse when he noticed a ledge that was taller than the dragon and piles of stone that led to it like a staircase.

“Emma,” he whispered. “Do you see that ledge?” he jerked his head in its direction. When Emma nodded, he continued, “I’m going to jump on her back and try to hold her down-“

“Are you crazy?!” she whispered back. “That thing is ten times your size!”

“Well nothing else is working, and you threw your sword away,” he argued back. “When I give the signal, attack her with my sword.”

“Can’t you just plunge it threw its neck if you plan on jumping on it and all?”

“If I try that, she’ll start moving around. I won’t be able to land a straight blow and I could possibly hurt myself. Besides, Rumpelstiltskin said you had to be the one to get the potion from her.” He held his sword out to her.

She looked back and forth from the sword to him, still reeling from everything that was happening. Wordlessly, she took his sword from him.

“On my signal,” he reminded her before darting for the stairs.

He was surprised that he made it to the top as quickly as he did. He stood at the edge, waiting for his opening. Finally, the dragon kneeled under him, sniffing around for a sign of her intruders. He noticed how dangerously close she was to finding Emma. Without much thought, he leaped off the ledge, landing on the dragon’s neck in a way that would’ve been very painful if he wasn’t wearing the proper padding.

He wrapped his arms around her neck just as she jerked her head up. She roared trying to reach around to snap at him. Unfortunately for her, he was far too close to her head for her to reach.

“Emma, now!” he shouted.

Emma ran from her hiding spot to see Rory latched onto the dragon’s neck. She tightened her grip around the sword and ran forward. The dragon caught on to what they were up to. Before the Savior could get close enough, the dragon leaped into the air, carrying her new passenger along.

Rory’s grip around Maleficent tightened. She did a series of leaps trying to get him off. He raised his fist and punched her in the neck, causing her to land to a stop.

Emma watched in horror as the dragon unknowingly landed on the edge of a chasm. Her foot slipped from underneath her and she and Rory plummeted into the giant hole.

Emma ran to the edge to see down the hole. “Rory!” she shouted helplessly. Only her echo called back. She started to tense up. Rory was gone, and without that potion, Henry was soon to follow.

Before she could run back to the elevator and admit to Regina and Amy that she failed, the ground under her began to rumble. A rush of wind knocked her to the ground, losing Rory’s sword, as the dragon flew out of the hole. She looked up horrified. Instinctively, she grabbed her gun and wasted more bullets trying to kill the dragon.

“Stop shooting at it!” Rory shouted, still clutching to the dragon for dear life.

Emma bitterly threw her gun aside. It was out of bullets anyway.

The dragon landed on the ground. She slammed the side of her body against a rock wall. This caused Rory to lose his grip and fall to the ground below. A small rock landed on his head from Maleficent slamming against the wall. He went unconscious.

“No!” Emma shouted, running to his aid.

Maleficent wasn’t having any of that. She shot a jet of flame in her direction. The sheriff dodge rolled to the side near Snow White’s coffin. She knelt by her mother’s resting place, staring frighteningly at where Rory lay unknown to the current danger. She fell on her bum when the dragon made the ground rumble again.

Her hand brushed cool metal. She looked down to see Charming’s sword lying next to her. She unconsciously gripped the hilt, a surge of bravery pumped through her veins. She had no time to play around. Her son was fighting for his life above ground. If she failed him now, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

She got to her feet. The dragon was about to snap its jaws around Rory’s body.

“HEY!” Emma shouted, grabbing the dragon’s attention.

With all of her might, Emma threw her sword at the giant creature. It landed square in the dragon’s chest straight from a scene in a Disney movie. The dragon screeched in pain just as its dark purple form turned orange and exploded.

Emma ducked her head down, ashes raining from the sky. The world around her was quiet. She looked up to see whatever was left of the dragon lying around her in ash form.

The sound of coughing brought her out of her revere. Rory was conscious again. He slowly got up clutching the side of his head and coughing up dust.

Emma ran to his side. “Are you okay?”

“For the most part,” he choked out, using the stone wall as a crutch. He looked around and saw no sight of the dragon. He looked back at Emma and smiled. “You did it!” he congratulated.

Emma smiled back, very tired all of a sudden.

Something shiny grabbed their attention. Emma took slow steps and knelt down to find a gold egg lying under a heap of ashes. She picked it up, brushing off the dragon remains. Gold said the potion was in an encasing. This had to be it.

Emma hugged it to her chest, staring off ahead of her.

“I just fought a dragon,” she said aloud, almost hoping someone would tell her she was crazy.

((-Fairy Tale World-))

Despite his indifference, the Doctor was dragged to the dungeon kicking and screaming. The creepy guard had left shortly after the time lord was securely locked in his dungeon. The nicer guard, whom he found out was referred to as the Huntsman, stayed behind to guard the dungeon.

The Doctor sat at the corner of his cell, staring at the window he had escaped through the previous night. He wished he could go back in time and kept himself from ever meeting Rumpelstiltskin in the first place. Of course, being a time traveling expert, he couldn’t go back in his own time stream and change anything. He could at least hide behind a tree and throw acorns at the imp’s head.

It wouldn’t change things, but at least it’d give him a laugh.

He let his head lull back against the wall and closed his eyes. Maybe he could get some shut eye in this wretched place if he thought hard enough. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a good night’s rest.

The sound of creaking metal dashed his hopes. The Doctor’s eyes snapped open to see one of the guards entering the dungeon dragging a frail figure with long matted hair behind him. As they got closer, the Doctor could see the shape of a woman. She didn’t protest or try to pull herself out of the guard’s grasp. She simply followed him quietly with her head hung low, her hair covering her face.

The guard opened the cell next to the Doctor’s and pushed the girl inside with so much force that she fell to the ground once she passed the bars. The guard closed the door behind her, locking it with a matching metal key. “Maybe next time you’ll know better than to defy the Queen,” he taunted, his voice low, and left the dungeon slamming the door behind him.

Once the guard’s footsteps faded away, the Huntsman walked towards the girl’s cell. He grabbed the bars of the cell and stuck his head through the wide gait. “How badly were you hurt?” he asked, concerned.

The girl shook her head. “It’s nothing to worry about,” she assured him. “I’ll survive.”

The Doctor recognized her accent immediately. This was the girl who helped him escape the night before.

“Let me see,” the Doctor said, surprised by the forcefulness his voice held.

The girl’s head turned towards him. Thanks to the light from the window, he could finally see her face. She was a beauty, he admitted to himself. Her brown hair fell around her face in soft, matted curls. She wore a simple blue dress that was tattered and covered in dirt. Her bright blue eyes looked at him in shock and confusion.

“You?” she asked, recognizing him. “She captured you?”

“Please,” he ignored her; desperate to see what exactly was wrong. He crawled to the set of bars that separated their cells.

Hesitantly, she crawled to his side of the cell and stuck two shaking arms through the bars. The time lord’s eyes widened at the sight. The delicate, pale arms that smashed a rock against the guard’s head were now scarred with various slashes as if someone took a whip to her. Wordlessly, he gently pressed his hand over one of the slashes. He pulled back quickly when she felt her wince. He could feel fresh blood sticky against his palm.

“You should let me wrap those,” the Huntsman finally spoke up causing both of the prisoners to look at him. “You don’t want those to get infected.”

She pulled her arms back towards her as the Huntsman unlocked her cell with his own key. He knelt down next to her, pulling out a set of bandages he kept in a pouch.

“Hold on,” the Doctor stopped him before he could start wrapping her up. He reached into his inside pocket (The one that was bigger on the inside) and pulled out a small bottle of peroxide. “Just pour it over her cuts and then wrap it,” he instructed, handing the bottle to the Huntsman. “It’ll sting for a minute,” he told the girl soothingly.

He watched as the Huntsman cleaned her wounds. She didn’t wince when the peroxide made contact with her cuts. The Doctor admired that bit of bravery. Then again, the medicine was probably nothing compared to the actual pain she suffered receiving those injuries.

The Doctor mentally cursed himself. Before he left, he had promised the girl that he’d come back for her once he got his TARDIS. That should’ve been the first thing he’d done when he found his spaceship, even if Rumpelstiltskin ended up following him. Instead, the poor girl was whipped and possibly beaten for letting him escape. His hearts ached for her. Many times people he cared for, whether they knew him or not, risked their lives in his name. Some ended up with scars deeper than the girl’s slashes… Others died.

“I’m sorry,” the words left him before he realized he said them aloud.

Both of them turned to face them. The girl studied him with sad eyes. “This isn’t your fault,” she told him, holding up her newly bandaged arms. “I’m sorry that you ended up here despite me trying to help you.”

The Doctor shook his head. “Trust me; you’re not the one who should hold all of the blame.” Of course, the two people that came to mind as far as faults were concerned were the Evil Queen and Rumpelstiltskin.

“Thank you for your help,” the Huntsman nodded, handing the peroxide back to the Doctor. “Despite the circumstances, it’ll be nice having another friend down here.”

“Friend?”

“Of course,” the girl smiled, lighting up the dark dungeon. “I’ve been the only prisoner down here for a while now. Thankfully, the Huntsman has kept me from going insane.” She extended her hand through the cell towards the time lord. “My name is Belle.”

He smiled, extending his own hand to shake hers. “I’m the Doctor.”

_…And that was how the lonely Time Lord made friends with the Huntsman and Belle, the only trustworthy people he met in the Enchanted Forest…_

((-Storybrooke-))

Amy and Jefferson walked through the hospital hallways acting as if they owned the place (Just as he told her to do). Amy carried a first aid kit to go along with her nurse’s outfit. Her accomplice was dressed as a male nurse, but he carried a Starbucks to-go cup filled with tea. He had told her he drugged it. This led her to believe he was the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, but she didn’t say it aloud.

Seeing him in the nurse’s outfit reminded her of Rory. She hoped that he and Emma were okay wherever it was that Rumpelstiltskin sent them to.

They stopped at a metal door with an electronic padlock next to it. As Jefferson punched in numbers, Amy looked over at where Henry slept. Everything seemed to be okay. Mary Margaret sat at his bedside reading him a story from his storybook. She wondered how long it would be for his teacher to remember that she was the princess she might’ve been reading about.

The door beeped in approval as Jefferson turned the knob and walked through; Amy followed.

They walked down a set of stairs into a dark basement. The air was cold around them. Amy’s spine shivered from the eerie feeling she sensed. Was this how the Doctor felt when he lived in the Evil Queen’s dungeon?

They stopped at the receptionist’s desk where a nurse with the same uniform as her sat. She had brown hair done up in a 50’s style up-do. Her eyes were stone and as cold as the room around them.

“Your tea,” Jefferson flashed a charming smile, placing the cup in front of her.

“Thank you,” she replied. “What was all the commotion upstairs earlier?” she asked before sipping her drink. If she noticed Amy at all, she was ignoring her.

He replied sympathetically, “There’s a sick boy up there.”

The nurse frowned, setting her tea down. “How tragic! Do you think he’ll make a…”

She stopped, the drug taking effect. Her eyes rolled to the back, her head hitting the desk as she fell asleep.

“Recovery?” he finished for her, biting back an amused laugh.

He reached over the counter and grabbed the keys. Amy sat her first aid kit on the desk as she followed him down the hallway. They turned the corner and came to a long row of metal doors. Amy saw the first door on her left and read the nameplate: S. Glass. She bit back a gasp, realizing this was where the editor of The Mirror was sent to for kidnapping Kathryn Nolan.

Jefferson stopped at the door next to it. He unlocked the door and swung it open. They both looked in to see a woman with messy brunette hair seemingly waking up from a nap. Amy knew this was Belle. Jefferson turned his head toward her, pressing the metal key into her hand.

“Two doors down,” he whispered.

Amy nodded and walked away from the other two. She stopped at the door he told her to stop at. The nameplate next to it read J. Smith. Amy smiled, excitement bubbling in her chest. She unlocked the door and pushed it open.

She gasped at the sight before her.

Sitting on a bed was the Doctor. He sat in a hospital gown with his knees hugged to his chest. His hair was slightly longer, and he grew a beard. Again, not the first time Amy had seen him like this.

As happy as she was, she stood still in her spot by the door as the Doctor looked up at her, looking lost. For all she knew, he was probably under the curse. If Mr. Gold was right about people having personalities opposite their true identities, then she was staring at a true mad man.

Or someone completely normal, depending on your point of view.

“Doctor?” she asked softly.

He cocked his head to the side. “Are you the nurse?”

She hid her sorrow. He didn’t recognize her. She imagined he wouldn’t, but a small part of herself told her that maybe he would remember because he wasn’t from there.

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Good,” he said, standing up from his bed. “Would you be willing to fetch me some fish custard? The other nurses look at me like I’m crazy!”


	11. That Which Has Been Lost

Jefferson had long disappeared after letting Belle go free. Amy had put the keys back on the desk while leading the Doctor away from his room. The receptionist had yet to wake up. Amy wondered how powerful that drug in her tea was.

 

Without any idea of what to do next, she had spent the next couple of hours cutting his hair in one of the public bathrooms. It took a couple of hours because he kept complaining.

“Stay away from me with those!” he had protested, weaving his head away from the sheers. 

“Hold still!” she held him down by his shoulder, trying to avoid stabbing him (as tempting as it was). “You’re going to thank me later.” 'Once you get your memory back,' she added in her head.

 

By the end of it, twenty-eight years of hair growth surrounded them on the floor. His hair-do was back to normal, but he still had a small beard. By the way he reacted to seeing the scissors, she didn’t want to bring an electric razor into the mix.

 

Amy took him to the waiting room just outside of Henry’s room where he slept soundly. Luckily, no one else bothered the two. Amy was still wearing the nurse uniform and she left the Doctor in his hospital gown. Oddly enough, it was the perfect disguise in a hospital.

 

“How did you end up in the asylum?” Amy asked as they sat down, using her nurse disguise as a way to figure out what identity Queen Regina gave to him.

 

The Doctor glared at her. “You’re one of them, you tell me,” he scorned.

 

“Hey, I just helped you escape,” she shot back, lowering her voice so no one else would hear. “The least you could do is show me some respect.”

 

“Escape?” he scoffed. “In case you haven’t noticed, sister,” he stood up, and threw his arms in the air, “we’re still here!”

 

“Shh!!” Amy pulled him back to his chair. They sat like that for a while, both staring into each other’s eyes. In that moment, looking into his brown orbs, Amy realized just how lost he truly was. “You…” she began softly, her voice shaking. “You don’t remember anything?”

 

She knew he didn’t remember everything the two had been through together, or being a time lord. But now, she realized, he didn’t have any memory; not even a fake Storybrooke memory.

 

The ferociousness left the Doctor’s face. He turned his head away, averting her gaze. “I woke up one day and found myself in that dark room,” he told her quietly. She had to lean over to hear. “I don’t remember how I got there or what I did to deserve it.” He glanced back at her, somewhat surprised. “You don’t know why I’m here?” his voice was almost pleading, his eyes watery

 

Amy slowly shook her head, closing her eyes to hold back her own tears. “I’m sorry,” she told him.

 

“You’re the only one who is,” he said simply. He turned away from her again, rubbing the forearms under his long sleeved shirt. The cuff of his sleeve pulled back just enough for Amy to see a red gash on his wrist.

 

She bit back a gasp. The nurses were mistreating him? Or was the wound self-inflicted? She was afraid to ask. A new rage against Regina grew in her. How could she do this to him? The Queen gave fake memories to _Snow White_. How could she have left him with no memory whatsoever?

 

He turned suddenly, grabbing Amy by the shoulders. “We have to help her!”

 

“Help who?”

 

“The other girl who lives down there,” he explained. “The woman in the black dress is mean to everyone, but she despises her. She lives in the cell right next to mine.”

 

That’s when she knew he was talking about Belle.

 

“Come on!” he grabbed her hand and attempted to pull her behind him. She grabbed the edge of her seat, causing the Doctor to trip backwards.

 

He fell to the floor in front of her. “She’s fine,” she assured him when he was about to glare again. “A friend of mine helped her escape while I was getting you out. She’s safe.”

 

“R-really?” he asked, relief flooding him.

 

Amy smiled and nodded.

 

Wordlessly, he got off the floor and sat back down in his chair. “How come she gets to leave and we don’t?”

 

Amy groaned. “Because we have to sit here and watch over that little boy in there,” she pointed in Henry’s direction.

 

Suddenly, a loud beeping noise sounded through the room.

 

“We need some help over here!” Dr. Whale called out as a few doctors and nurses started rushing to Henry’s bedside.

 

Amy dashed away from the Doctor. She tried to get through and find out what’s wrong, but everyone kept pushing her back; surprising since she was dressed as a nurse and all. A nurse closed the door on her, and Amy was left to stare in horror at what was going on.

 

“What’s wrong with him?” the Doctor asked, standing next to her.

 

She turned to look at him. When she saw that he was worried about Henry, too, she got a glimpse of the Doctor she knew so well. Even now he couldn’t stand to see children hurt. But there was nothing he could do about it; not with his current state.

 

“Something bad,” was all Amy could say to him as she pulled out her cell phone and started dialing. Rory and Emma needed to hurry.

 

……………………….

 

Emma still hugged the egg even as she and Rory entered the elevator. Most of the ride was spent in quiet. Rory noted the blank look on her face. It was actually a mixture of worry, shock, and exhaustion, but remained expressionless as if she didn’t know what she should be feeling.

 

Rory on the other hand was just relieved they made it out alive. He thought he was a goner when he fell down that chasm with the dragon.

 

“Sorry about earlier,” Emma said too suddenly.

 

Rory turned his head to look at her. She didn’t meet his gaze.

 

“For… snapping at you earlier about Prince Charming,” she clarified.

 

“You don’t have to apologize,” he assured. “Anyone in your situation would’ve done the same.”

 

Emma chuckled without emotion. “You know somebody who was ripped away from their family just after childbirth and ended up older than their parents due to some weird curse?”

 

“Yeah,” Rory replied, “My daughter, Melody.”

 

Emma finally looked at him, not expecting him to answer her.

 

“Not by magic,” he corrected. “She was kidnapped by a woman with an eye patch and escaped through… time travel means.”

 

Before Emma could try and respond to that, the elevator jerked and stopped.

 

“Regina?” Emma called out, opening the latch above her. “Regina, what the hell is going on?”

 

They were about twelve feet away from the top, but Emma could still see a head poke out the doorway. Instead of Regina’s black hair, she saw Mr. Gold’s sandy blonde hair.

 

“Gold? Where’s Regina?”

 

“I’m afraid Madame Mayor has abandoned you both down here,” he called, not at all bothered by it. Slightly amused, she assumed. “She jammed the elevator controls and everything.”

 

Emma growled low in her throat. She should’ve known she couldn’t trust Regina of all people. “Stay there,” she called to Mr. Gold. “Rory and I are coming up.”

 

Emma slid the egg over the hole and grabbed the edges of the opening. Rory knelt down to give her a boost.

 

“You two can’t possibly scale this elevator and carry that at the same time,” the pawnbroker told them.

 

“Watch us,” Rory countered as Emma pulled him through the latch. “Emma will climb up first and I’ll throw it up to her.”

 

“No, there isn’t enough time,” he said concerned. “Just throw it up to me, and I’ll wait for you.”

 

Emma and Rory exchanged unbelieving looks.

 

“You can trust me,” the older man assured.

 

“Is that what you told the Doctor before you stole his TARDIS from him?” Rory snarled.

 

Mr. Gold shook his head. “The past is the past. All that matters now is Henry’s well-being. I promise once he’s better, I’ll help you and Mrs. Pond find the Doctor.” He placed his hand over his heart. “Trust me.”

 

Rory looked back at Emma. She didn’t want to throw the potion up, but she had Henry to think about. Rory bit his lip and nodded at her. Emma picked up the egg and hurled it upwards. Mr. Gold caught it with one hand.

 

The two of them didn’t see the smirk that plastered his face.

 

“Gold?” Emma called out once she saw him disappear. She began climbing the emergency ladder, Rory followed.

 

Emma got to the top first and gasped. Mr. Gold was nowhere in sight, and Regina was tied to a chair.

 

“No!” Emma shouted as she hoisted herself to the top, running to rip the duct tape off Regina’s mouth. Rory followed suit, helping to untie her.

 

“Why did you let him have that?” Regina scolded both of them.

 

“Where is he?” Emma asked.

 

“Gone,” she stood up once Rory loosened the last knot. “Gold!” she growled. “He’s the one who’s behind all this!”

 

“If we hurry, we can catch up to him,” Emma suggested, already heading for the door.

 

Before they could leave, all three of their cellphones rang. They looked at the caller IDs.

 

“Hospital?” Emma asked.

 

“Hospital,” Regina confirmed.

 

“Amy,” Rory countered.

 

They all answered to the same call: Henry was dying.

 

………………

 

They rushed up the stairs of the hospital. Emma tried to block out what the hospital had told her. Henry can’t die. He was too young. They had to be there on time. She knew, though, without that potion, nothing would be helped. 'Maybe Gold ran ahead and brought the potion here,' she kept telling herself. 'Maybe Henry will be okay.'

 

She, Regina, and Rory ran through the door leading to his room. Just as they entered, they saw Dr. Whale walk out of his room with Mother Superior. They looked to them expectantly, but both of them shared looks of anguish and disappointment.

 

“We did everything we could,” Dr. Whale told them, somberly. “I’m sorry.”

 

The room was suddenly quiet. All Emma could hear was the ringing in her ears as the voices around her faded. Her feet developed a mind of their own and walked her towards Henry’s room. She watch in horror as the nurses began stripping Henry from wires and oxygen masks. His body was pale; the life sucked out of him. The nurses didn’t dare pull her away as she entered his room. She heard an anguished cry somewhere behind her, muted out as if she was underwater. It sounded like Regina.

 

Emma stood at the foot of his bed.

 

He wasn’t breathing.

 

His eyes didn’t even flutter.

 

She could’ve told herself he was just sleeping, but it would have been a lie.

 

Her only son was gone.

 

…………………………….

 

Rory watched everything unfold in front of him, grief tugging at his heartstrings. He turned at the sound of his wife’s cries. He saw Amy sitting on the waiting room couch crying into the shoulder of a man wearing a hospital gown.

 

Rory realized, to his surprise, the patient was the Doctor.

 

He didn’t look like him though, not just because he had a beard, but his eyes as well. He looked oblivious to the world around him as he stared off into space, namely in the direction of where Henry lie dead.

 

“Amy?” Rory asked softly, coming to his wife’s aid.

 

She looked up at him, tears pouring down her face. She buried her face into his armored shoulder while her right hand grasped the Doctor’s arm comfortingly. The Doctor didn’t seem to respond to her touch. Rory knew then that the Time Lord was just like all of the other citizens of Storybrooke. He had no memory.

 

Rory didn’t bother letting his mind wander to where the Doctor had been this whole time. He buried his face in Amy’s hair, fighting back tears that threatened to spill.

 

This was all Rumpelstiltskin’s fault, he decided. Not only did he leave the Doctor behind to have his memories erased and stranded somewhere without his own memories for twenty-eight years, he stole the only thing that could have saved Henry’s life.

 

For that, he was going to pay.

 

…………………

 

Emma walked closer to stand over Henry’s head. Her hand brushed over his bare arm, noting how cold it was. Regina began crying into Dr. Whale’s chest, staining his coat with tears. Emma wanted nothing more than to walk over and pull all of her hair out of her head.

 

This was all her fault. If the Evil Queen would’ve just left well enough alone, Henry would still be here. She blamed Mr. Gold too. She mentally made a note to go after him once she was through with Regina.

 

Thoughts of revenge momentarily banished as she gazed on Henry’s face. His eyes were shut tight. She leaned over, tears spilling down her face. For a moment, she let herself believe he was asleep. For one, brief moment, she imagined she just got through reading him a bedtime story and found that he had fallen asleep halfway through it. She imagined every other scenario except for one that was actually happening.

 

“I love you, Henry,” she whispered just before she placed a kiss on his forehead, saying goodbye.

 

……………..

 

A rush of wind blew through her hair. Just like the memory she experienced of Charming and Snow when she was underground, the skin under her lips turned from cold to warm instantly.

 

Regina turned to face them just as the wind reached her and Dr. Whale.

 

Amy, Rory, and the Doctor felt the wind brush through them just as well.

 

In fact, everyone in the hospital felt it.

 

Emma pulled back, a weird, tingling feeling pulsing through her. She looked down just in time to see Henry gasp in air, his eyes snapping open. Emma yelped in spite of herself.

 

Henry looked into her eyes, smiling. “I love you, too.”

 

Emma laughed, a fresh batch of tears spilling down her face as she hugged her son.

 

“You did it,” Regina said astonished.

 

Amy and Rory stood up, walking near the see-through wall. Henry was alive. They hugged each other in relief.

 

“Amy? Rory?”

 

The Ponds froze a moment. They turned their heads to see the Doctor standing in front of them, confusion on his face.

 

“Doctor?” Amy asked, hoping for some sort of recognition.

 

“Why are you dressed as a nurse?” He cocked his head at Rory and blushed. “Oh no, don’t tell me it’s your anniversary again.”

 

Amy laughed, rushing over and tackling the Doctor in a hug. Rory followed wrapping his arms around both of them.

 

Doctors and nurses began to fill into Henry’s room; all of them looked as if they had woken up from a bad dream. Emma and Henry looked over concerned. Regina looked wary.

 

“Henry, what’s going?” Emma asked as all eyes fell on them.

 

“The curse,” Henry realized, turning back to his mother. “I think you broke it!”

 

“It was true love’s kiss,” Mother Superior a.k.a the Blue Fairy agreed, approaching the pair through the throng of doctors.

 

Regina shook her head. “No, it can’t be.”

 

Blue turned and told Regina smartly, “If I were you, Your Majesty, I’d find a place to hide.”

 

Regina looked around at the throng of angry and confused people. She turned to Henry. “Henry, no matter what anyone tells you, I do love you.” She then turned to leave.

 

…………………

 

Snow White walked around town as her old memories began to flood through her brain. She was searching for something. She wanted to find Emma, realizing she had been living with her daughter for the past nine months and not even knowing it.

 

“Snow!” called an all too familiar voice.

 

She turned to see a familiar face wearing denim instead of armor.

 

“Charming,” she whispered, joy running through her veins. She started running to him, and vice versa. They met in the middle of the street, grasping onto each other as if one of them would disappear at any second.

 

“You found me,” Snow smiled, staring deep into his eyes.

 

“Did you ever doubt I would,” Charming responded, mimicking the same discussion they had long ago.

 

Snow shook her head, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and kissed him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders to deepen the kiss. After twenty-eight years of memory loss and comatose and nine long months of sneaking around and falling in and out of love, they were finally together.

 

……………….

 

All of the doctors and nurses were scattered about the hospital. Their memories were coming back slowly. They needed a moment to let everything sink in.

 

Emma and Henry joined the Doctor, Amy, and Rory in the waiting room once Henry was given the okay from Mother Superior to leave his bedside and once he had time to change back into his normal clothes. The Doctor, just like the others, was regaining his memory at the same pace. His time in the Enchanted Forest had yet to fully sink in. Amy and Rory began to explain all that had happened to them after they left the TARDIS.

 

“So you’re telling me I was a fairytale character?” the Doctor asked them astonished.

 

“You were in my storybook,” Henry confirmed grabbing his book and flipping through pages. He handed him the book once he stopped on a picture of the Doctor kneeling in front of the Evil Queen with two guards flanking him.

 

“That’s right,” he said, his memory of being locked up coming back to him.

 

“Graham?” Emma looked over the Doctor’s shoulder to get a better look at the picture.

 

“Beg pardon?” the Doctor turned to look her way. She pointed at the guard on his right. “Oh, the Huntsman! So his name was Graham in this world,” he shrugged. “It’s a nice name. Where is he?”

 

Emma exchanged a look with Henry, both of them somber. The Doctor quickly understood what had happened. He turned the page to see a picture of him in the dungeon talking to Belle and the Huntsman. He was about to ask about her until his Storybrooke memory of her melded into his mind.

 

“I hope she’s found a safe place by now,” he smiled at Amy. Another thought came to mind as he turned to look at Emma. “So, how come you were the one meant to break the curse?”

 

“I’m Snow White and…”

 

“No, I know who your parents are,” he interrupted her. “What I mean is why you? Any other children of fairytale characters could have done it. Why did it have to be you?”

 

“Didn’t Mr. Gold say the true love potion had something to do with it?” Amy asked.

 

“Yeah,” Emma replied. “He made it mixing Snow White and Prince Charming’s DNA, using it to create the curse. He said he ‘bottled’ true love.”

 

The Doctor’s eyes widened…

 

_“True love; the most powerful magic of all. I have yet to acquire it, of course. It’s not easy finding two people who are truly in love with each other.”_

 

_“True love. You said so yourself that it was impossible to find!”_

 

_“No, dearie, I said it wasn’t ‘easy,’”_

 

“Who’s Mr. Gold?”

 

“What?” Amy asked.

 

He turned to face her. “Everyone in this town is a fairytale character except for the five of us. Who. Is. Mr. Gold?” He looked at her intense and urgent.

 

A shiver went through his spine as Amy replied, “Rumpelstiltskin.”

 

………………………….

 

Everything was falling into place. He had the true love potion in his grasp. Pleasant surprises were being thrown at him, also. One of them was named Belle.

 

She had entered his shop just as he was about to leave. He was shocked to see her, especially after Regina told him she was dead. He had thought she was a ghost. He dreamed many times of her visiting him in Storybrooke only to wake up alone in his bed. He also dreamed of their time together back in the Dark Castle when he was just Rumpelstiltskin and she was his servant. He didn’t know which was worse.

 

She had mentioned Regina locked her up. He wouldn’t have doubted Regina lying to him. He would figure out what to do about her later, but he had business to do.

 

Mr. Gold led Belle into the forest when she got her memory back. He knew Emma broke the curse when she spoke his real name. He was worried what she would say to him, but was happy when she confessed her love to him. He had hugged her tightly expressing his same sentiments. He would have loved nothing more than to spend the rest of the day by her side, but of course, he had things to do. There would be time for everything later.

 

He led her to the middle of the forest where a lone well stood.

 

“Where are we?” she asked.

 

“This is a very special place, Belle,” he told her. “The water in this well runs through all dimensions and has the power to replace that which has been lost.”

 

With that, he took the potion out of his jacket pocket. He uncorked it and dropped the whole bottle into the well. Both of them watched it fall until they heard a splash. Wind began to blow out of the well. Rumpelstiltskin took a hold of Belle and pulled her back just as purple smoke began to flood out of it.

 

……………..

 

As usual, the Doctor started running. Amy, Rory, Emma, and Henry reluctantly followed him out of the hospital. They were greeted to the morning sun.

 

“Doctor, what’s wrong?!” Amy grabbed a hold of the Doctor’s arm, stopping him from going any further.

 

“The curse is broken,” he turned sharply towards her. “The curse is broken and everyone has their memories back, am I right?”

 

“Yes,” Rory answered for her. “What’s the problem?”

 

“The problem is,” he began, addressing the others in the scary calm voice he uses before all hell breaks loose, “Why haven’t we gone back to the Fairytale world?”

 

Everyone froze. None of them had thought of that due to the excitement of that morning.

 

“Henry, do you know why?” Emma asked.

 

Henry shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

 

Just then, voices started crying out. There were mixtures of “What’s that?” and “It’s coming this way!” All five pairs of eyes turned to see a giant cloud of purple smoke devouring the town.

 

“What is that?” Emma asked stunned.

 

“Something bad,” Henry conferred.

 

“No,” Amy shook her head. “Maybe it’s us going back.”

 

“No it’s not,” the Doctor said, knowing full well what was coming. “Rumpelstiltskin is bringing magic to us.”

 

About a block away, Snow and Charming watched the purple smoke coming closer. They hugged each other as if to shield themselves from what was coming as the fog swirled around them.

 

Amy and Rory held onto each just as Emma’s parents had. The Doctor wrapped his arms around them as if to protect them both, and Emma knelt down and shielded Henry from the fog. Everyone was still, letting the fog rush over them as it took over Storybrooke.

 

**To be continued…**


End file.
